Defence Decisions (Military Officers)

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to allow the most senior serving military officers to express their views publicly on whether the country should go to war; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: The policy for serving military officers publicly expressing their views on matters of Government policy is set out in the Defence Council Instruction "Contact with the media and writing or speaking in public". This is available in the Libraries of the House and is reflected in each service's Queen's Regulations.

Downing Street Tours

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Prime Minister if he will invite a group of children from Shrewsbury with special needs to visit No. 10 Downing Street for a tour.

Tony Blair: Hon. Members from all parties are invited on a rolling programme to nominate and accompany a small group of children from their constituencies to have tea at No.10 Downing Street. Hon. Members are invited to select, in a fair and open way, children and adults who have a particular interest in visiting No. 10 Downing Street. Since 1998 approximately 424 MPs have accepted invitations for children to come for tea.

Crime Clear-up Rates

Andrew Turner: To ask the Solicitor-General pursuant to the answer of 9 January 2006, Official Report, column 1W, on crime clear-up rates, how many offenders went before the courts in each area listed in the table in each year between 2000 and 2005; how many (a) pleaded guilty and (b) were found guilty in each year; how many (i) cases and (ii) charges were discontinued by the Crown Prosecution Service in each year; and on how many occasions the Crown Prosecution Service dropped a charge in favour of a less serious charge.

Mike O'Brien: I have placed tables in the Library of the House that show the number of defendants whose case was completed in magistrates courts and in the Crown court, in each Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) Area, in each of the years in question; the number resulting in guilty plea; the number found guilty after trial; the number whose case was discontinued; and, for completeness, the number resulting in other outcomes. The tables also express each outcome as a proportion of the total.
	"Other outcomes" comprise cases in which the defendant was found not guilty after trial; cases discharged in the course of committal proceedings; and cases which could not proceed because the defendant could not be traced by the police, or had died, or been found unfit to plead.
	The CPS reports case outcomes at defendant level, and holds no central information on the outcome of specific charges. This information is held on individual case files, and could be retrieved only by examining every file in each CPS office. It is therefore not possible to provide figures for the number of charges discontinued, nor on the number of occasions on which a charge was dropped in favour of a less serious charge.
	Figures for 2005 are provisional, and may be subject to revision.

Administration Costs

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the administrative costs were of each agency for which she has responsibility in the last year for which figures are available; what the total of such costs was in that year; and whether the costs are regarded for the purposes of public expenditure statistical analyses as (a) identifiable and (b) non-identifiable.

Jim Knight: Costs for each of the Defra executive agencies for 2004–05 are in their annual reports with accounts, copies of which are placed in the Library of the House. In the reports these are not further classified as "identifiable" or "non-identifiable", i.e. whether or not they benefit particular individuals, enterprises or communities within particular regions. Administrative costs for 2004–05 are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  £000 
			 Agency Administrative costs for 2004–05 
		
		
			 Centre for Environment, Fisheries and  Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) 37,300 
			 Central Science Laboratory (CSL) 43,000 
			 Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD) 9,161 
			 Rural Payments Agency (RPA) 249,208 
			 Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) 99,081 
			 Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) 8,304 
			 Government Decontamination Service (CDS) (1)— 
			 Marine Fisheries Agency (MFA) (1)— 
			 State Veterinary Service (SVS) (1)— 
			 Total 446,054 
		
	
	(1) New agency in 2005—data not available.
	Information on the precise apportionment of individual Defra executive agency administration costs to the "identifiable" and "non-identifiable" categories for the purpose of the Country and Regional Analyses exercise is available only at disproportionate cost.

Avian Influenza

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many wild birds have been tested for avian influenza in each of the last six months; whether each bird was (a) found dead, (b) shot and (c) trapped alive; whether each bird was (i) wildfowl and (ii) other species; in which country each was taken; and what the results were of the test on each.

Ben Bradshaw: To date approximately 3,179 wild birds have been tested for avian influenza viruses as part of surveillance activities across the UK.
	Of these 131 were found dead, 326 were shot as part of legal wildfowling activities and 2,722 were caught and sampled live. 239 were sampled in Scotland, 2,621 in England and Wales and 319 in Northern Ireland. 3,078 were wildfowl and 101 were other species
	Two birds tested positive for low pathogenic avian influenza viruses. A mallard shot in Scotland tested positive for the subtype H6N2 and a shelduck that was caught live in England tested positive for the subtype H2.
	All other results to date have been negative.

Avian Influenza

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to raise awareness among poultry keepers of the requirements of the Avian Influenza (Preventative Measures) (No 2) Regulations 2005.

Ben Bradshaw: DEFRA has distributed guidance materials to a range of industry groups, including the British Poultry Council, the British Egg Industry Council and the National Farmers Union. These stakeholders are helping to distribute information to their members. We have also provided leaflets and posters to farmers and to many other people, including local veterinary surgeons and placed advertisements in poultry hobby magazines. Guidance is also available on the avian influenza pages of the DEFRA website.

Avian Influenza

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice she has prepared for game farmers and gamekeepers regarding the release of game birds during 2006 in the event of an outbreak of Avian influenza.

Ben Bradshaw: Working closely with industry Defra has issued guidance for all bird keepers, including those involved with the release of game birds. A leaflet on improving biosecurity and surveillance has been circulated to smaller businesses. We have also placed information in the trade and specialist press and on the Defra website. An industry and cross-Department working group has issued specific guidance on worker protection.

Badgers

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the compatibility with the Berne Convention of the practice of licensing individual farmers to cull badgers.

Ben Bradshaw: We are currently consulting on both the principle and method of a badger culling policy. Any new culling policy would have to be sustainable and take account of legislation protecting the welfare of badgers. But no decisions have yet been made.
	Badgers are listed as a protected species under Appendix III of the Berne Convention, but they are not an endangered species. The Berne Convention allows regulated management of a protected species as long as this is not
	"detrimental to the survival of the population concerned".

Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (Monk's Wood)

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the likely impact on environmental research of the proposed closure of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology at Monks Wood; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer 9 January 2006
	The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) is currently consulting on a proposed restructuring of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH). The proposals include the potential closure of the site at Monks Wood. The aim of the restructuring proposal is to ensure the long term sustainability of CEH which will ensure continued capacity for environmental research in the UK into the future. NERC has confirmed that the scientific programmes for the restructured CEH will be:
	Biodiversity
	Water
	Biogeochemistry
	Climate Change
	Sustainable Economics
	Environmental Informatics
	The proposed closure of specific sites does not imply that the research carried out at those sites will be discontinued.

Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the operation of sections (a) 3 to 9, (b) 10 to 14 and (c) 28 to 32 of the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005.

Ben Bradshaw: Sections 3 to 9 deal with the nuisance to local residents caused by the sale and repair of vehicles on the road.
	These sections:
	Make it an offence to leave or cause to leave two or more vehicles on a road within 500 metres of each other where they are exposed for sale. The offence will not be committed if the sale is not for the purpose of a business of selling motor vehicles.
	Make it an offence to carry out restricted works on a motor vehicle on a road. The offence is not committed if the works are legitimately needed due to a breakdown or are not for the purposes of a business. However, the business defence does not apply if the works give reasonable cause for annoyance to persons in the vicinity.
	Allow for the issue of a £100 fixed penalty for the above offences.
	Create an offence to give false information to a local authority officer.
	Are enforceable by the local authority.
	Interim guidance on these sections was issued to local authorities on 3 June 2005 and will be updated as part of the Act's full guidance issued in March 2006.
	Sections 10–14 deal with the enforcement, removal, and disposal of abandoned vehicles and amend the Refuse Disposal Amenity Act 1978. These sections:
	Allow for the issue of a £200 fixed penalty notice for the offence of abandonment.
	Create an offence to give false information to a local authority officer.
	Removes the requirement to give notice before removing a vehicle from occupied land where the land is on a 'road'. This will include roads running through housing estates.
	Removes the requirement to give 24 hours notice before the removal of a vehicle that ought to be destroyed.
	Allow for the immediate disposal of abandoned vehicles that do not display a valid tax disc and a registration plate.
	Remove the requirement to wait for the expiration of a valid tax disc before disposal.
	Gives the Government the power to issue statutory guidance that local authorities must have regard to when exercising their abandoned vehicle functions.
	Are enforceable by the local authority.
	Interim guidance on these sections was issued to local authorities on 18 October 2005 and will be updated as part of the Act's full guidance issued in March 2006.
	Sections 28–30 make changes to fixed penalty notices for graffiti and flyposting, by amending section 43 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003. This will allow local authorities to specify the level of penalty themselves within a range that will be set out by the Secretary of State in regulations. If they do not choose to specify their own level, a default amount of £75 will apply. It also widens the range of officers that will be able to issue fixed penalties for graffiti and fly-posting offences by enabling local authorities to authorise officers other than their own employees to issue them, as well as giving the power of issue to parish councils. A new section 43B will also be inserted into the 2003 Act, making it an offence for someone to fail to provide their name and address details when requested to do so by an authorised officer.
	These sections will help encourage more effective enforcement by increasing the number of officers with the power to address minor acts of graffiti and fly-posting, and by giving local authorities flexibility in setting the penalties that will apply.
	Section 31 of the Act will enable local authorities to require the removal of both graffiti and fly-posting where this is defacing street furniture and other relevant surfaces belonging to statutory undertakers. Currently this power is available for graffiti in 12 pilot authority areas under section 48 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003. The 2005 Act extends these provisions so that 'defacement removal notices' will be available for dealing with fly-posting as well as graffiti, thus allowing more co-ordinated removal from affected surfaces.
	Under the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 it is an offence for anyone to sell aerosol paint to anyone under the age of 16. From 1 July 2005, this provision has been supplemented by a requirement under section 32 which places a duty on local trading standards to carry out a review of underage sales once every 12 months and take enforcement action where necessary. Guidance for the operation of section 32 and for test purchasing aerosol paints can be found on the TOGETHER website (http://www.together.gov.uk/article.asp?aid=3435).

Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects each section of the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 to come into force.

Ben Bradshaw: The current timetable for commencement is as follows:
	
		
			 Section Date to be commenced 
		
		
			 1 Crime and disorder reduction strategies To be confirmed 
			 2 Gating orders By spring 2006 
			 3–5 Nuisance parking offences 7 June 2005 
			 6–9 Nuisance Parking Offences: fixed penalty notices Planned for 6 April 2006 
			 10–14 Abandoned vehicles 18 October 2005 
			 15–17 Illegally parked vehicles 18 October 2005 
			 18 Offence of dropping litter 7 June 2005 
			 19 Litter offence: fixed penalty notice Planned for 6 April 2006 
			 20–22 Litter and refuse—local authority notices Planned for 6 April 2006 
			 23 Free distribution of printed matter Planned for 6 April 2006 
			 24–26 Litter and refuse—general Planned for 6 April 2006 
			 27 "Litter" 7 June 2005 
			 28–31 Graffiti and flyposting Planned for 6 April 2006 
			 32 Sale of aerosol paint to children — 
			 33 Unlawful display of advertisements: defences 7 June 2005 
			 34 Removal of placards and posters Planned for 6 April 2006 
			 35 Unregistered transport: defence of acting under employer's instructions 7 June 2005 
			 36 Registration requirements and conditions 7 June 2005 
			 37 Transport of waste: enforcement powers Planned for spring 2007 
			 38–39 Failure to produce authority: fixed penalty notices Planned for 6 April 2006 
			 40 Defence of acting under employer's instructions 7 June 2005 
			 41 Penalties on conviction 7 June 2005 
			 42 Investigation and enforcement costs 18 October 2005 
			 43 Clean up costs 18 October 2005 
			 44 Forfeiture of vehicles 18 October 2005 
			 45 Failure to furnish documentation: fixed penalty notices Planned for 6 April 2006 
			 46 Power to search and seize vehicles Planned for spring 2007 
			 47 Abolition of requirement to contract out waste disposal functions 18 October 2005 
			 48–50 Local authority waste collection and disposal Planned for 6 April 2006 
			 51–52 Appropriate person and use of fixed penalty receipts Planned for 6 April 2006 
			 53 Supplementary enforcement powers 18 October 2005 
			 54 Site waste management plans 7 June 2005 
			 55–58 Dog control orders Planned for 6 April 2006 
			 59–62 Fixed penalty notices Planned for 6 April 2006 
			 63–65 Supplementary Planned for 6 April 2006 
			 66–67 General Planned for 6 April 2006 
			 68 Termination of police responsibility for stray dogs Date still to be decided 
			 69–76 Alarm notification areas Planned for 6 April 2006 
			 77–79 Powers in relation to alarms Planned for 6 April 2006 
			 80–81 Supplementary Planned for 6 April 2006 
			 82, 84, 85 Noise from premises Planned for 6 April 2006 
			 83 Noise offences: use of fixed penalty notices 7 June 2005 
			 86 Deferral of duty to serve abatement notice Planned for 6 April 2006 
			 87–95 Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment 1 January 2006 
			 96–98 Miscellaneous—use of fixed penalty receipts Planned for 6 April 2006 
			 99–100 Shopping and luggage trolleys Planned for 6 April 2006 
			 101–103 Statutory nuisances Planned for 6 April 2006 
			 104 Contaminated land: appeals against remediation notices Planned for spring 2006 
			 105 Offences relating to pollution etc: penalties on conviction 7 June 2005

Constituency Dispute (Leominster)

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what steps her Department is taking to investigate the dispute between Mr. Gilgan, Ms Quershi and Mrs. Booton, constituents of the hon. Member for Leominster;
	(2)  when she will reply to the letter of 5 December from the hon. Member for Leominster about the treatment of his constituents Ms Qureshi and Mrs. Booton by officials in her Department.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 12 January 2006
	I apologise for the delay in replying to the hon. Member's letter, which deals with the dispute involving his constituents. I will reply shortly.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many meetings of the EU (a) Fisheries Joint Committee (EEC-Madagascar), (b) Standing Committee for implementation of the Directive on the marketing of biological products, (c) Committee on evaluation and control of the risks of existing products and (d) Committee for the adaptation to technical progress of the provisions on the removal of technical barriers to trade in the sector of dangerous substances and preparations have taken place during the UK presidency of the EU; who presided over each meeting; which other UK representatives were present; what provisions were made for representation of the devolved governments; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  how many meetings of the EU (a) Fisheries Joint Committee (EEC-Comoros), (b) Fisheries Joint Committee (EEC-Côte d'Ivoire) and (c) Fisheries Joint Committee (EEC-Estonia) have taken place during the UK presidency of the EU; who presided over each meeting; which other UK representatives were present; what provisions were made for representation of the devolved governments; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  how many meetings of the EU (a) Fisheries Joint Committee (EEC-Gambia), (b) Fisheries Joint Committee (EEC-Greenland) and (c) Fisheries Joint Committee (EEC-Guinea) have taken place during the UK presidency of the EU; who presided over each meeting; which other UK representatives were present; what provisions were made for representation of the devolved governments; and if she will make a statement;
	(4)  how many meetings of the EU (a) Fisheries Joint Committee (EEC-Guinea Bissau), (b) Fisheries Joint Committee (EEC-Equatorial Guinea) and (c) Fisheries Joint Committee (EEC-Mauritius) have taken place during the UK presidency of the EU; who presided over each meeting; which other UK representatives were present; what provisions were made for representation of the devolved governments; and if she will make a statement;
	(5)  how many meetings of the EU (a) Fisheries Joint Committee (EEC-Sao Tome and Principe), (b) Fisheries Joint Committee (EEC-Senegal) and (c) Fisheries Joint Committee (EEC-Seychelles) have taken place during the UK presidency of the EU; who presided over each meeting; which other UK representatives were present; what provisions were made for representation of the devolved governments; and if she will make a statement;
	(6)  how many meetings of the EU (a) Committee on supply of agricultural products to the population of the former Soviet Union, (b) Fisheries Joint Committee (EEC-Angola), (c) Fisheries Joint Committee (EEC-Argentina) and (d) Fisheries Joint Committee (EEC-Cape Verde) have taken place during the UK presidency of the EU; who presided over each meeting; which other UK representatives were present; what provisions were made for representation of the devolved governments; and if she will make a statement;
	(7)  how many meetings of the EU (a) Fisheries Joint Committee (EEC-Morocco), (b) Fisheries Joint Committee (EEC-Mauritania and (c) Fisheries Joint Committee (EC-Russia) have taken place during the UK presidency of the EU; who presided over each meeting; which other UK representatives were present; what provision was made for representation of the devolved governments; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The UK did not attend any of the Joint Committees (except that for EU/Greenland) listed in these questions as we have no fishing interests in these waters. Records about these meetings are not held by my Department. The meeting of the EU/Greenland Joint Committee took place on 12 December 2005. The UK was represented by DEFRA officials. UK officials also attended negotiations of the EU/Morocco and EU/Senegal agreements during our presidency of the EU.

EU Packaging Directive

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what steps she is taking to increase the collection of packaging waste from households to meet the EU packaging directive targets for 2008;
	(2)  whether (a) local authorities and (b) producers are responsible for the collection and recovery of packaging within household waste.

Ben Bradshaw: Local authorities have a duty to collect any household waste and to meet individual Statutory Performance Standards for recycling and composting of household waste. Each authority is free to choose the range of materials it collects to meet its target.
	In addition, the Household Waste Recycling Act 2003 requires waste collection authorities-subject to certain exemptions-to provide a kerbside collection service of at least two recyclable materials by 2010.
	However, the Department has also put in place the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2005, "the Packaging Regulations" which place obligations on businesses to recover and recycle packaging waste. As the packaging waste recycling targets, set in the regulations, increase between now and 2008 it is expected that producers will have to ensure that more packaging waste is extracted from the household waste stream for recycling. Producers will therefore need to work with local authorities e.g. through their packaging compliance schemes and/or accredited reprocessors/exporters, to ensure that packaging materials can be collected by local authorities for recycling, e.g. by co-financing such collections. This is particularly so where producers' needs extend beyond the local authorities' own recycling obligations.

Home Inspection Packs (Contaminated Land)

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will place in the Library a copy of the note produced by her Department's Contaminated Land branch on the Council of Property Search Organisations' proposals for a contaminated land report to be included in home inspection packs.

Ben Bradshaw: I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 19 December 2005, Official Report, column 2380W.

Greenhouse Gases

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures the UK Government have proposed to help developing countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 10 January 2006
	The United Kingdom (UK) Government has proposed to help developing countries to reduce emissions through a number of different activities. Highlights so far include:
	Consolidated support for the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP). Defra will be providing a further £2.5 million pounds per year in 2006–07 and 2007–08. In addition, the FCO will be providing funding of £1 million in 2006–07 and 2007–08 giving a total of £6 million from the UK over the coming two years.
	Dialogues with Latin America and China on low carbon investment strategies are under way.
	The UK is at the fore of the EU-China Partnership on Climate Change and is leading the near-Zero Emissions Coal (nZEC) project with China. The nZEC proposal was announced at the EU-China Summit on 5 September.
	The nZEC project aims to demonstrate coal-fired power generation with carbon capture and storage technology in China by 2020. The technology has the potential to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by some 90 per cent. This is in recognition that carbon dioxide emissions from China's increasing coal use are set to double by 2030.
	We have just signed an agreement with the Chinese Government to take this work forward (21 December 2005). The signing of the UK-China MoU is a significant milestone under the EU-China Partnership on Climate Change and a high profile achievement for the UK's Presidency of the EU.
	The UK actively promotes use of the Clean Development Mechanisms (COM) and COM related investments:
	The UK in its capacity of Presidency of the EU negotiated a package of measures for strengthened COM in Montreal; these include significant institutional and financial measures to improve the transparency and efficiency of the approval process. In particular following COP11 and COP/MOP1 some $8.8 million in additional funding has been agreed for administrative expenses of the Clean Development Mechanism (COM) in 2006—more this year than in the previous four years of operation. The UK is a major contributor, and will contribute $740,000 this coming year.
	The United Kingdom is also at the fore of the EU-lndia Initiative on Clean Development and Climate Change, with the aim of promoting cleaner technologies and their use.
	During the early part of 2006 we are aiming to agree the Terms of Reference for the Technology Development and Transfer Study and we are hopeful that my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, may be able to formally launch the project on her visit in March.
	Elsewhere, the UK supports research, which will help developing countries deal with climate change. Current research includes an assessment of how to improve climate modelling and monitoring for Africa, and two separate investigations into the impacts of climate change on Chinese and Indian agriculture.

Piers and Harbour Order (Bembridge Harbour) Confirmation Act 1963

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what decisions have been (a) sought and (b) obtained from her Department and its predecessors since 1997 under the Piers and Harbour Order (Bembridge Harbour) Confirmation Act 1963.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 9 January 2006
	As the reply given by my hon. Friend, the Minster of State for the Department of Transport, on 19 December 2005, Official Report, column 2315W, explained, responsibility for granting consents under various local harbours legislation where the approval of the Secretary of State is required, was transferred to this Department with effect from 1 October 2004.
	The Department's Marine Consents and Environment Unit has no record of any application for consent, or of any approvals being given, under the Piers and Harbour Order (Bembridge Harbour) Confirmation Act 1963 since that date.

Waste Management

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the merits of household charges for waste collection as a method of increasing participation in recycling.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department's work on variable household charging and household incentives for waste recycling and reduction is based on the body of existing, publicly available, research, supplemented by investigation into specific examples of such activity and by specially commissioned research and pilot schemes on household incentives in England.

Whaling (Japan)

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps have been taken to ensure that Japan is aware of the UK's views on its increased scientific whaling within the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The UK Government, in common with those of a majority of International Whaling Commission (IWC) members, has regularly criticised Japanese scientific whaling programmes in both the North Pacific (JARPN) and the Southern Ocean (JARPA) as being of little scientific value and urged Japan to terminate them forthwith.
	Prior to last year's annual meeting of the IWC (IWC57), the UK participated in an Australian led demarche of 18 countries objecting to Japan's proposed expansion of JARPA. This drew attention to a draft IWC Resolution Proposed by Australia and co-sponsored by the UK, which was subsequently adopted during IWC57; this resolution urges the Government of Japan to revise its JARPA II scientific whaling programme so that any information needed to meet scientific objectives is obtained using non-lethal means.
	I issued a press notice on 11 November urging Japan not to proceed with their JARPA II programme. The statement condemned the Japanese plans in the Antarctic stating that
	"Japan is flying in the face of world opinion"
	and that
	"This slaughter has little or no basis in science".
	Later this month the UK and a number of other countries will take high level diplomatic action in Tokyo protesting in the strongest possible terms our objection to the continuation of their whaling activities.

Wildlife Rescue Centres

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what support her Department makes available to wildlife rescue centres.

Jim Knight: Defra does not fund individual wildlife rescue centres.

Archiving

David Amess: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission 
	(1)  if the Commission will take steps to establish a searchable archive on the parliamentary (a) intranet and (b) internet of the (i) meetings of (A) Standing Committees and (B) Select Committees and (ii) Sittings of the House that were webcast in each of the last three sessions of Parliament; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will list the meetings of (a) standing and (b) Select Committees that were webcast in the last session of Parliament for which information is available.

Nick Harvey: Since January 2004 the webcasting service has provided audio-coverage of all Select and standing Committee meetings which are not televised but which are being held in public, as well as of televised meetings. Ignoring the period between the general election and the summer recess, an average of 26 Commons Committees, five Lords Committees and two Joint Committees have been webcast each week in the current session. Of these, an average of 10 Commons Committees and one Lords Committee are webcast as "television"; the rest are webcast as audio. A full list could be compiled only at disproportionate expense.
	www.parliamentlive.tv offers an online, on-demand searchable archive of coverage of all meetings which have been "webcast" over the internet and intranet for two weeks following transmission. Webcast committee coverage which has been televised is then held by the Parliamentary Recording Unit indefinitely and can be made available on request in a number of modern formats, including online. The business case currently being prepared for a radical redesign of the parliamentary website will include options for improvements to the accessibility of audio and video material.

E-mail

David Amess: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission 
	(1)  what restrictions apply to (a) individuals and (b) pressure groups and other organisations e-mailing hon. Members at their parliamentary e-mail accounts; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 (SI 2426) will apply to pressure groups wishing to e-mail all hon. Members at their parliamentary e-mail accounts; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: PICT delete all known "SPAM e-mail" from incoming messages and known "scams" directed at Members. No attempt is made to filter e-mail beyond this. Members can make local arrangements to identify and block known senders of unwanted e-mail on an individual basis.
	The Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 prohibit use of unsolicited electronic mail for the purposes of direct marketing, except when it is with the recipient's consent. The remedies for those in receipt of such electronic mail are set out in the regulations.

Medical Facilities

David Amess: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what medical facilities are available in the Palace of Westminster for (a) hon. Members' staff, (b) hon. Members and (c) visitors to the Palace; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: Within the Palace of Westminster itself, a practice nurse is available from 9 am to 5 pm at the medical suite located in the lower waiting hall, offering health advice and a minor treatment service. These services are available to all passholders. The practice nurse also assists with medical emergencies and cases of ill health whether they involve passholders or visitors to the Palace.
	There are approximately 180 qualified first aiders across the parliamentary estate (including security personnel and staff from both Houses), of whom around 80 are trained defibrillator operators. Appropriately trained staff have access to an Epipen for emergency use in cases of anaphylactic shock.
	The parliamentary Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare Service (OHSWS) offers a range of services, including medical screening for Members. Further details can be found on the parliamentary intranet at http://dfaweb.parliament.uk/members/medservs/medical. htm.Information, brochures and leaflets are available from OHSWS and information packs were distributed to all Members and Peers following the 2005 summer recess.

Parliamentary Information Management System

David Amess: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission if he will make a statement on the progress of the Parliamentary Information Management System Project.

Nick Harvey: The PIMS project's aims were to provide easy access to parliamentary information for all users of the parliamentary intranet, by creating a new infrastructure for the storage, search, retrieval and management of parliamentary information held in the two Libraries. This would replace and extend the POLIS databases that had been used by the two Libraries for over 20 years, and provide a platform on which the services available to Members of both Houses of Parliament and the public might be developed further.
	The first services went live in December 2004 supporting Commons Library inquiry handling. The main services came on stream in April 2005 with facilities for search and retrieval of material and content management. There were some initial difficulties with maintaining the currency of information in the system, and a programme of technical changes designed to improve performance was put in place and completed in November 2005. Further enhancements are to be made over the next few months before the project concludes in the spring of 2006.
	A separate project is also under way to develop the parliamentary intranet building on the PIMS technology infrastructure. In addition, a business case is being prepared for a radical redesign of the Parliament website.

Strategic Plan

David Amess: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission 
	(1)  when the Strategic Plan for the House of Commons Administration was last updated; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on the progress of each of the four core tasks set out on page 61 of HC 65; what discussions he has had with stakeholders about implementation of each of the four core tasks; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what discussions he has had with stakeholders about implementation of Objective (a) 1, (b) 2 and (c) 3 in the Corporate Business Plan; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: A new outline Strategic Plan, covering the period 2006 to 2011 was agreed by the Commission in July 2005. The text is available via the Commission's intranet and internet pages. This new plan confirms that the primary purpose of the House Service is to enable the House and its Members to perform their parliamentary duties effectively. Beyond this it has a duty to promote public understanding of Parliament's work and role through the provision of information and access. The plan also sets out six priority areas for the period 2006 to 2011: accommodation and works, human resources, information for the public, information management and ICT, planning and management and security. For each of these areas the board of management has developed a detailed statement of its aims for the planning period. These have been incorporated in the 2006 Corporate Business Plan.
	The previous strategic plan identified four on-going core tasks and eight developmental objectives for the period covered by the plan: 2001–02 to 2005–06. Pages 15–48 of the 2004–05 Commission Annual Report [HC65 2005–06] provide a description of performance against each of the core tasks. A further statement on performance will be provided in the 2005–06 Annual Report. The views of Members and other stakeholders on the implementation of elements of both the core tasks and the development objectives have been expressed in a number of ways, including reports and advice from the Administration Committee and its predecessors in the last Parliament and the Modernisation Committee, and the 2003 Survey of Services. It is anticipated that a further survey of services will be conducted during the current Parliament.
	Furthermore, there have been three hour debates in Westminster Hall on each of the two most recent annual reports, in December 2004 and November 2005, and the Commission hopes that this pattern of annual debate will continue.

Vote Bundle

David Amess: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how (a) members of the public and (b) public libraries may purchase the vote bundle; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: Members of the public and public libraries may purchase the vote bundle from the official distributor of parliamentary and Government publications, The Stationery Office Ltd., or from the Parliamentary Bookshop. Public libraries qualify for a subsidy on their purchases under the Government's public library access scheme.

Afghanistan

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on his plans for the deployment of additional British troops to Afghanistan.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the statement I made on 14 November 2005, Official Report, column 41WS.
	A Statement will be made to the House should the United Kingdom decide to commit additional forces to the international security assistance force (ISAF) in 2006.

Departmental IT Equipment

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) laptops and (b) mobile phones his Department bought in each year since 1997; and what the cost of each category of equipment was in each year.

Don Touhig: Information on the number and cost of laptop computers bought in each year since 1997 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Information relating to the number and cost of mobile telephones is only available from 1999:
	
		
			   £ million 
			  Number Spend (ex VAT) 
		
		
			 1999 6,656 2.64 
			 2000 8,964 2.66 
			 2001 10,958 2.37 
			 2002 13,808 3.40 
			 2003 17,084 3.96 
			 2004 22,029 3.98 
			 2005 24,800 4.74 
		
	
	There are a small number of local agreements in place for which information is not available.

Lieutenant-Colonel Blair Mayne

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will award a posthumous Victoria Cross to Lieutenant-Colonel Blair Mayne; and if he will make a statement.

Don Touhig: In 1946 the Government reviewed all actions and campaigns that took place during world war two and decided that after this date, no further awards would be made. This remains the case to this day, and it would be impossible to second guess the decisions made by military commanders at the time. For that reason it is not possible to make a posthumous award of the Victoria Cross to Lieutenant-Colonel Blair Mayne.
	None of this lessens our appreciation for Lieutenant-Colonel Mayne's actions at the time, which were recognised with the award of a fourth Distinguished Service Order.

Medals

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many General Service Medal Suez Canal Zone clasps for the period 16 October 1951 to 19 October 1954 have been issued; how many applications have still to be processed; on what date the first clasp was issued; and when he expects that the final award will be made.

Don Touhig: As at 30.December 2005, some 42,250 General Service Medal Suez Canal Zone clasps had been issued. A further 758 applications were waiting to be processed. The first clasp was issued in October 2003.
	It is likely that a small number of applications from veterans or their relatives will continue to be received for many years to come.
	While this means that it is impossible to predict when the final award will be made, the applications currently outstanding should be processed within two months.

Ministerial Visits

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many times he has visited (a) Dacorum and (b) Hertfordshire in his official capacity in the last 12 months; and what the purpose was of each visit.

Don Touhig: My right hon. Friend the Leader of the House (Mr. Hoon), in his former role as Secretary of State for Defence, opened the new MBDA facility in Stevenage on 6 April 2005. My noble Friend Lord Bach, the former Minister for Defence Procurement, visited Paradigm in Stevenage on 22 March 2005.
	Since the General Election no Defence Ministers have visited the borough of Dacorum or the County of Hertfordshire.

Office Equipment

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) personal computers, (b) laptops, (c) servers, (d) printers, (e) scanners, (f) photocopiers and (g) fax machines (i) his Department, (ii) each (A) non-departmental public body, (B) Executive agency and (C) other public body for which his Department is responsible in (1) Scotland, (2) Wales, (3) each English region and (4) Northern Ireland owned in (x) 2003–04 and (y) 2004–05.

Don Touhig: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

HIV/AIDS

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance his Department will provide in the next two years to reduce the spread of HIV Aids in Commonwealth of Independent States countries.

Gareth Thomas: DFID is supporting programmes to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS in Central Asia, Ukraine and Russia. Details of commitments are as follows:
	Central Asia:
	DFID is providing £5.4 million over four years (2005–09) for a Central Asia Regional HIV/AIDS Programme, operating in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The Programme will complement the World Bank and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Regional HIV/AIDS projects in supporting the implementation of government strategies.
	As part of the above work, DFID is also providing £1 million for the World Bank's Central Asia Regional HIV/AIDS Programme and £420,000 for the salaries of a Regional Policy Advisor and a Regional Monitoring and Evaluation Advisor in the Joint United Nations Programme for HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) office in Almaty.
	Ukraine:
	DFID is providing £300,000 from May 2005 to May 2007, in support of the UNAIDS work with the Government of Ukraine to improve co-ordination of HIV/AIDS interventions. In addition DFID is providing 65,000. from September 2004 to September 2006, to support the work of the non-government Substance Abuse and AIDS Support Fund and to provide technical support to the UN Global Fund.
	DFID has also provided £25,000 in August 2004 for an HIV/AIDS harm reduction awareness campaign in Crimea and £350,000 from September 2004 to September 2005 for work with the Ministry of Education to highlight HIV/AIDS issues in schools and among young people.
	Russia:
	DFID is providing £74,000 over 2006–07, comprising: (i) £22,000 in support of UNAIDS work with the Government of Russia; (ii) £47,000 to support a regional response to tackling HIV/AIDS in Nizhny Novgorod and (iii) £50,000 to disseminate findings from previous DFID funded research to help inform the Government of Russia's policies for tackling HIV/AIDS.

Hurricane Ivan

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with representatives of (a) the Government of Grenada and (b) the Government of the Cayman Islands concerning reconstruction efforts following Hurricane Ivan; and what funding his Department has (i) committed to these efforts and (ii) made available to date.

Gareth Thomas: Since Hurricane Ivan, DFID has remained closely engaged with the Government of Grenada. By December 2004, DFID had committed and fully disbursed £6.5 million of emergency assistance: £1 million was provided as emergency humanitarian support through partner agencies; £5.5 million was provided as emergency financial aid to help the Government meet their public sector salary obligations. In 2005, DFID committed a total of £325,000 to provide consultancy support in the forestry sector, a chartered surveyor to assess the damage done to the Governor-General's compound and the Parliament Buildings. With the US Agency for International Development, DFID co-financed debt advisers to develop proposals for the restructuring of Grenada's debt. In addition, our share of the European Commission humanitarian support and additional reconstruction funds was £1.18 million.
	Most recently, both my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for International Development and the Prime Minister, met with Prime Minister Keith Mitchell in the lead up to and during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta in November. During a meeting with Prime Minister Mitchell in May 2005, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State made clear that DFID recognised the continuing reconstruction challenges facing Grenada, and he made a commitment that DFID would review the case for additional budget support to Grenada.
	In November 2005, following the Government of Grenada's successful debt exchange offer to creditors and their work on a home-grown economic reform programme, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) judged the financing gap for 2005 to have been reduced to a limited and manageable level of about 1 per cent. of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Given this relative success we have decided not to offer further emergency financial aid to the Government of Grenada before March 2006. However, we remain open to the IMF's projections that the financial gap may widen dramatically in the next financial year and for a number of years after that, as the current construction industry boom subsides. We will continue to keep the situation under close review.
	DFID provided some £250,000 to Cayman Islands for emergency supplies and services in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Ivan. We have not provided specific assistance for reconstruction. We understand, however, that the European Union is considering a request from the Cayman Islands Government for support to rebuild homes. DFID's focus has been aimed at improving and strengthening disaster preparedness in all UK Overseas Territories in the region. In the Cayman Islands, we also funded a study of the impact of Hurricane Ivan to help learn from the Cayman Islands' experience of handling the emergency.

Jordan

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department has provided for projects in Jordan in each of the last five years; and how much such funding is planned for the 2005–06 financial year.

Hilary Benn: Jordan is now a middle income country, which receives relatively large amounts of donor funding in relation to its levels of poverty. DFID has provided bilateral funding in the form of technical co-operation (i.e. support for projects) as well as other types of bilateral funding for example humanitarian assistance and debt relief. DFID's bilateral programme with Jordan closed in September 2005. DFID also provided funding to Jordan through our contributions to multilateral organisations including the EC and the World Bank which we will continue to do.
	
		
			   million 
			  Technical co-operation Total bilateral programme 
		
		
			 2000–01 4.0 6.8 
			 2001–02 2.3 6.4 
			 2002–03 2.8 4.8 
			 2003–04 1.2 4.2 
			 2004–05 3.2 5.3 
		
	
	DFID is planning to provide £1.6 million in bilateral assistance to Jordan in 2005–06.

Palestinian Authority

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support his Department is giving to the Palestinian Authority (a) to ensure the efficient running of the forthcoming elections and (b) to reconstruct Gaza.

Hilary Benn: The European Union (EU) has committed €14 million to enable the Palestinian Authority (PA) to prepare for elections. 18 per cent. of this expenditure is attributable to the UK. The core elements of the EU support are:
	Assistance to the Palestinian Election Commission (€10 million);
	Technical expertise on election operations (€1 million);
	International observation of the election process (€2.5 million);
	Assistance to voter and civic education (€350,000).
	The UK Government are also assisting elections through the following projects:
	Purchase of Ballot Papers (£45,000);
	Media Monitoring of 2006 Palestinian Legislative Council Elections (£34,000);
	Training of journalists and public awareness (£90,316).
	The Quartet Special Envoy for Disengagement, Mr. James Wolfensohn, has identified the key issues for Israeli disengagement from Gaza and parts of the West Bank to be an economic success for the Palestinians and to assure Israeli security. DFID is working closely with Mr. Wolfensohn's team and is providing assistance to help the PA develop a medium-term development plan; one of the key issues identified by Mr. Wolfensohn. DFID is also providing substantial financial support (£15 million in 2005–06) to support Palestinian refugees in Gaza and elsewhere. This assistance, provided via the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), helps provide education, health, housing and social services to Palestinian refugees.

South and Central America

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department has provided to each south and central American country in each year since 1997.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) has provided the following bilateral assistance to countries in central and south America since 1997:
	
		
			 £ 
			 Country 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Argentine Republic 134,680 159,818 134,323 7,567 248 — — — 
			 Bolivia 4,394,934 4,262,732 6,254,949 7,509,130 124,55,178 9,267,954 7,056,854 5,401,807 
			 Brazil 7,015,501 7,476,778 6,377,947 6,519,084 6,863,875 10,093,041 69,101,54 5,027,700 
			 Chile 1,142,963 1,028,865 409,758 8 95,688 145,359 351,152 436,715 
			 Colombia 2,229,176 2,617,346 1,537,320 1,730,155 933,784 600,043 350,886 541,016 
			 Costa Rica 303,551 211,251 116,580 182,649 115,527 70,200 121,541 17,057 
			 Ecuador 1,515,036 1,099,063 748,381 540,702 275,016 363,430 192,595 158,797 
			 El Salvador 211,396 299,428 318,278 1,820,249 430,527 338,025 106,956 74,627 
			 Guatemala 403,878 478,834 370,539 318,577 419,549 289,340 236,938 196,060 
			 Guyana 5,351,023 5,846,429 9,999,846 13,821,291 12,490,518 12,080,149 17,098,065 8,770,704 
			 Honduras 1,164,920 2,580,147 1,790,996 1,373,493 1,219,649 1,180,571 910,066 959,736 
			 Mexico 4,052,209 3,794,111 2,171,981 1,538,577 511,800 560,844 70,791 96,871 
			 Nicaragua 1,010,750 1,995,860 1,153,282 636,107 612,847 1,373,255 1,029,110 1,774,679 
			 Panama 427,199 366,384 324,478 233,543 154,872 34,908 — — 
			 Paraguay 203,739 275,148 255,310 178,888 93,626 65,728 — 4,860 
			 Peru 3,961,338 3,635,181 4,392,858 4,158,829 7,998,299 3,225,252 2,807,442 3,990,316 
			 Uruguay 224,416 253,555 251,664 — — — — — 
			 Venezuela 178,596 183,764 937,524 36,311 — — — — 
		
	
	Bilateral funding is also provided through regional assistance, which benefits a number of countries in the region:
	
		
			 £ thousand 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Americas regional 1,326 1,095 897 2,570 1,529 738 808 774 
			 Central America — 10,419 1,405 855 2,407 4,373 4,407 2,860 
			 Latin America 346 853 174 218 526 1,450 1,369 1,929 
		
	
	In addition, DFID contributes through multi-lateral channels, particularly through the Inter American Development Bank, the World Bank, European Commission and the United Nations. Information on our contribution through multi-lateral channels is only available until 2003:
	
		
			£ million 
			 Country 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Argentina 1.6 2.6 3.7 3.3 15.7 0.6 0.6 
			 Bolivia 9.4 8.6 2.4 6.6 11.7 0.8 22.8 
			 Brazil 3.1 4.6 5.7 8.9 14.2 7.6 6.7 
			 Chile 1.2 0.7 0.5 1.0 1.2 0.4 0.8 
			 Colombia 1.5 1.3 1.6 2.4 2.1 1.8 2.5 
			 Costa Rica 0.3 0.9 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 
			 Ecuador 1.1 1.6 1.3 1.2 0.8 1.1 1.3 
			 El Salvador 2.1 2.3 1.4 2.3 2.0 2.0 2.4 
			 Guatemala 3.1 3.4 3.1 3.4 2.6 3.7 2.5 
			 Guyana 2.7 1.2 0.8 1.5 1.3 0.8 5.6 
			 Honduras 5.4 5.6 5.1 4.7 12.7 1.8 6.7 
			 Mexico 1.0 1.1 1.1 1.0 3.0 1.2 1.0 
			 Nicaragua 6.0 10.9 6.0 10.8 10.0 3.3 21.5 
			 Panama 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.5 0.3 0.3 
			 Paraguay 0.8 0.5 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.0 0.3 
			 Peru 2.6 9.3 3.5 4.0 3.1 2.3 3.5 
			 Uruguay 0.4 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.4 
			 Venezuela 0.5 0.9 0.5 1.5 0.8 0.9 1.0

Departmental Staff

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many civil servants in his Department worked from home for at least one day a week in the last year for which figures are available.

Karen Buck: The Department and its agencies have a flexible approach in helping staff meet work life balance commitments. Although the Department does not have a home working policy, there are other policies, which cover a variety of working patterns. These patterns include flexible working hours, staggered hours, part-time working and job share. In addition, requests to work from home on an ad hoc basis are subject to line agreement.
	The table provides figures where available from both the central Department and its agencies.
	
		
			  Figures 
		
		
			 DfT C (6)(7)— 
			 DVLA 157 
			 HA 74 
			 MCA (7)— 
			 VOSA (7)— 
			 VGA 1 
			 GCDA (7)— 
			 DSA 2 
		
	
	(6) In the recent staff survey (DfT C only completed by 1,374 (77 per cent.) participants) revealed 838 (61 per cent.) staff members worked flexibly. Those who did work flexibly, went on to say that they worked from home once a week, 117 (14 per cent.). This however, is only an approximate figure as it is based on those who participated in the staff survey.
	(7) No central figures available

European Council

Peter Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the implications for United Kingdom transport policy of the EU sustainable development strategy noted in the EU Council Communiqué, Part VI, on conclusion of the European Council on 15 to 16 December 2005.

Stephen Ladyman: We are currently considering the implications for United Kingdom transport policy of the Commission's proposal to review the EU Sustainable Development Strategy. This is with a view to playing a full part in the discussions that the Austrian presidency of the Council of the European Union will set-up during the first half of 2006.

M1

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reason the M1 motorway is being resurfaced between junctions 20 and 21; how long the work will take; and what the total cost is of the work.

Stephen Ladyman: The M1 between Junctions 20 and 21 is being resurfaced for safety reasons. The existing surface was reaching the end of its useful life and represented an increasing hazard to road users.
	In order to minimise traffic disruption the resurfacing is being carried out in several phases. The first phase started in July 2005 and was completed in December. The second phase started on 4 January and is due for completion in March. Other phases will follow subject to the availability of funding.
	The total cost of the first two phases is £9.8 million.

M6

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what timetable the Highways Agency has set for erecting the sign for Shrewsbury on the M6.

Stephen Ladyman: Negotiations are currently underway between the Highways Agency, Shropshire county council and Shrewsbury and Atcham borough council about funding for this sign. Assuming agreement is reached, the sign should be erected during the first part of the 2006–07 financial year.

Railways

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 15 November 2005, Official Report, column 1150W, on train operating companies, what mechanisms exist in the franchising process for train operating companies to ensure that an appropriate level of risk is transferred to the private sector; and what level of risk he deems appropriate.

Derek Twigg: The allocation of risk between a train operating company and the Department is governed by the franchise agreement. Following publication of the Future of Rail White Paper, extensive negotiations were undertaken with the Association of Train Operating Companies and a standard form franchise agreement was agreed having taken legal, economic, commercial and financial advice. The standard agreement reflects the optimum risk balance in the light of that that advice.

Railways

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 15 November 2005, Official Report, column 1150W, on train operating companies, what mechanisms exist to ensure that the tendering process for franchises of train operating companies is competitive.

Derek Twigg: The franchise replacement process follows Office of Government Commerce (OGC) procurement guidelines and is subject to review by independent OGC-appointed reviewers. Selected projects are additionally subject to annual audits.

Railways

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what customer usage is on intercity rail lines; and what customer usage was in 2000.

Derek Twigg: In 2004–05, 85 million journeys were undertaken on Long Distance train services compared with 70 million journeys in 2000–01.

Railways

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he intends (a) to announce the outcome of the Railways for All consultation and (b) to publish a strategy for rail accessibility.

Karen Buck: We propose to publish the strategy shortly. A summary of the consultation responses to the draft strategy document, "Railways for All", will be published on the Department's website at that time.

Road Accidents (Costs)

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the most recent estimated cost of a road accident resulting in (a) serious and (b) slight injuries is (i) in total and (ii) broken down by (A) lost output, (B) medical assistance and ambulance costs and (C) human costs.

Stephen Ladyman: The more recent values used to estimate the benefits of the prevention of road accidents are set out in the "Highways Economic Note No. 1: 2004 Valuation of the Benefits of Prevention of Road Accidents and Casualties" which can be found on the DfT website.
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_rdsafety/documents/page/dft_rdsafety_610642.hcsp
	The Highways Economics Note disaggregates the elements of the value according to whether they relate specifically to casualties or accidents. The casualty-related values are lost output, medical and ambulance costs, and human costs. The costs of police, property damage and the administrative costs of accident insurance are accident-related costs. The total value of prevention of an accident is the aggregate of both sets of values.
	The following table illustrates the average estimated costs of a road accident. Total casualty costs represent the sum of the casualty-related elements, while total value of prevention is the sum of casualty-related costs and accident-related costs.
	
		Table: Average value of prevention per accident by severity (excluding fatalities) and element of costs (£ million June 2004)
		
			  Injury severity 
			  Serious Slight 
		
		
			 Lost output 21,379 2,550 
			 Medical and ambulance 12,806 1,082 
			 Human costs 145,370 12,151 
			 Total casualty costs 179,555 15,783 
			 Total value of prevention 184,269 18,496

Road Accidents (Costs)

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the most recent estimate is of the cost of a road accident, excluding the cost of deaths and casualties, broken down by (a) police costs, (b) insurance costs and (c) costs arising from damage to property.

Stephen Ladyman: The more recent values used to estimate the benefits of the prevention of road accidents are set out in the "Highways Economic Note No. 1: 2004 Valuation of the Benefits of Prevention of Road Accidents and Casualties" which can be found on the DfT website.
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_rdsafety/documents/paae/dft_rdsafety_610642.hcsp
	The Highways Economics Note disaggregates the elements of the value according to whether they relate specifically to casualties or accidents. The accident-related costs include costs of police and property damage and the administrative costs of accident insurance. These costs are not specific to casualties.
	The following table illustrates the average estimated costs per accident minus the casualty specific costs.
	
		Table: Average value of prevention per accident by severity and element of costs (£ million June 2004)
		
			  Injury severity 
			  Fatal Serious Slight 
		
		
			 Police costs 1,607 219 49 
			 Insurance and admin 254 158 96 
			 Damage to property 9,465 4,336 2,569 
			 Total accident costs 11,326 4,713 2,714

Road Detrunking Programme

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on his road detrunking programme.

Stephen Ladyman: The policy of transferring non-core trunk roads (detrunking) to local highway authorities was first set out in the White Paper "A New Deal for Transport" published in July 1998. Detrunking allows the Highways Agency to concentrate on the operation of the strategic trunk road network, whilst enabling local authorities to consider their own priorities for the improvement of non-core routes. The aim has been to transfer some 3,200 km (30 per cent.) of the trunk road network (as it was in April 1999) to local authorities in a phased programme. To date more than 80 per cent. (around 2,628 km) of the programme has been completed since April 2001. Prior to detrunking, the Highways Agency and local authorities agree the transfer of an appropriate level of funding for annual maintenance and in some cases for outstanding capital projects.
	During the financial year 2005–06, six routes have been detrunked. They are:
	A7 in Cumbria (between Carlisle boundary and the Scottish border)
	A40 in Gloucestershire (between the Oxfordshire County Council boundary and the M5)
	A48 in Gloucestershire (between A40 Highnam and the Welsh border)
	A417 in Gloucestershire (from M40 to A40)
	A500 in Cheshire (from Nantwich bypass to M6 junction 16)
	A6514 in the City of Nottingham (from A52 to A60)

Road Safety

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list those companies supporting his Department's THINK! road safety campaign; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department's 2005 Annual Report to Parliament (Command Paper CM6527) listed the companies who supported the THINK! road safety campaign in 2004. Details of companies who are currently supporting the campaign are listed:
	Drink Drive
	Mitchells and Butler
	Spirit Group (now owned by Punch Taverns)
	Punch Taverns
	Enterprise Inns
	Regent Inns (Jongelurs and Walkabout)
	The Union Pub Company
	Pathfinder Pubs
	JD Wetherspoons
	Beefeater (Whitbread)
	Auto Trader
	Cabana Soft Drinks
	Threshers
	Scooterman
	ComCab (Zingos)
	Scoot
	The Portman Group
	The Publican
	Hardys and Hansons
	George Gale (now owned by Fullers)
	Fullers
	Youngs Pubs
	Greene King
	Shepherd Neame
	Driver Tiredness
	Moto
	RoadChef
	Welcome Break
	First Motorway
	Rocket Fuel
	MultiMap
	Little Chef
	Philips Maps
	M6 Toll Road
	Auto Trader
	RAC
	The Caravan Club
	CSMA
	What Car?
	Merlin Entertainment (Sea Life Centres)
	Old English Inns
	Child Road Safety
	Asda
	Fun Radio (Gcap)
	Dairy Farmers of Britain
	3M
	Motorbikes
	Hein Gericke
	Arai
	Bennetts
	Suzuki and Rizla Suzuki
	Ducati and Airwaves Ducati
	Yamaha and Virgin Yamaha
	Honda and HM Plant Honda
	Vespa
	Kawasaki and Hawk Kawasaki
	Dorna
	Motorcycle Circuit Racing Control Board
	Feridax
	Shoei
	Spyke
	Knox Back Protectors
	The THINK! Road Safety campaign has received in-kind rather than cash donations from these partners. I welcome this third party support. It provides a very valuable and effective way of communicating key campaign messages, using practical and immediate solutions, through commercial brands.

Roads

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to ask the Highways Agency to review carriageway lighting in Cambridgeshire on the A47 and A1 routes in the next 12 months.

Stephen Ladyman: The Highways Agency constantly monitors the safety record of all parts of the trunk road and motorway network and where justified takes action to install new lighting or extend any existing lighting provision. In all cases, the critical determining factor is the number and severity of accidents that have occurred during hours of darkness.
	Following a structural and electrical testing programme of lighting columns on the A47 in Cambridgeshire, the Highways Agency plans to replace existing lighting on the A47 Soke Parkway between junctions 17 and 20. These works are phase 2 of the contract and are currently programmed to start in September this year.
	The A1 in Cambridgeshire consists of an all purpose trunk road and a section of motorway known as A1(M) between junctions 14 and 17, running from Alconbury to Peterborough.
	Lighting was provided along the complete length of the A1(M) at the outset, when the motorway opened in 1998 and no review is planned.
	The Highways Agency has no proposals to review carriageway lighting along the A1 all-purpose trunk road in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough City. Existing lighting columns and lanterns will be replaced as and when required under the Agency's maintenance regime.

Seat Belts

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the effect of seat belt wearing rates if persons guilty of an offence under section 14(3) of the Road Traffic Act 1988, in lieu of a fine, attend a driving safety course paid for by the offender that includes instruction on the benefits of wearing seat belts; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if his Department will undertake a review drawing on international research and experience into the effects of requiring persons guilty of an offence under section 14(3) of the Road Traffic Act 1988, in lieu of a fine, to attend a driving safety course paid for by the offender that includes instruction on the benefits of wearing seat belts; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: This offence relates to the failure of adults to use seat belts in motor vehicles. The Department has not undertaken such research and has no current plans to undertake such a review. Seat belt wearing rates in Great Britain are already generally high as demonstrated by the wearing rates given in my answer of 14 December 2005, Official Report, column 2026W, to the hon. Member.

Transport Infrastructure (Sussex)

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much money has been spent on improvements in transport infrastructure in west Sussex since 1997; and what proportion of this expenditure was spent in mid-Sussex.

Karen Buck: Since the introduction of local transport plans in 2000, west Sussex has received around £73 million for local transport improvements and maintenance schemes. In addition the county council has received approximately £14.5 million county council has received approximately £7.7 million for local transport capital investment. We do not have the data to identify a figure separately for local transport investment in mid-Sussex.
	Funding for trunk roads is neither allocated nor recorded on a county by county basis. West Sussex has benefited from the new trains and associated power supply and depot upgrades delivered as part of the Mark 1 "slam door" stock replacement programme, the total value of the investment (benefiting west Sussex and other parts of London and the south east) being in the region of £2 billion.

Transport Projects (Appraisal System)

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which transport projects were assessed using the New Approach to Appraisal system; and what the conclusions were in each case.

Karen Buck: The New Approach To Appraisal (NATA) was announced in the Government's 1998 White Paper "A new deal for transport: better for everyone". The NATA provides a comprehensive assessment of the main impacts of a scheme on the environment, safety, the economic performance, accessibility and integration so that all the key criteria are considered in decisions.
	NATA was first used to inform decisions taken during the 1998 Roads Review and results for 67 schemes which were candidates for the targeted programme of improvements were published in "A new deal for trunk roads in England: Understanding the New Approach To Appraisal". The Highways Agency has continued to use the NATA for all major (that is, those costing more than £5 million) highway schemes since then. It also introduced a simplified version of NATA for use on small schemes.
	Subsequently, the NATA was revised to be applicable to other transport modes, including rail, light rail and bus schemes. NATA has been used for appraisal of Community Infrastructure Funding. The Department has required the use of the NATA for the appraisal of all Local Transport Plan major schemes (road and public transport) since 2000. The NATA was the basis for OPRAF's 1999 "Planning Criteria—a guide to the appraisal of support for passenger rail services", revised in 2003 by the Strategic Rail Authority and published as "Appraisal Criteria—a guide to the appraisal of support for passenger and freight rail services".
	The NATA has been applied to a wide range of transport projects proposed by a number of different agencies. The Department does not hold a comprehensive record of all of these projects and to compile one would be prohibitively expensive. However, the projects have been subject to the NATA before submission to Ministers in the period February 2004 to June 2005.
	NATA is used to appraise and inform the prioritisation of schemes. A range of appraisal requirements including assessments using the NATA system apply to all schemes submitted to the Department for funding, with the level of detail required in the appraisal being proportional to the scale and complexity of the scheme. For each scheme, the Appraisal Summary Table provides an indication of the impact of the scheme on each of five criteria.

Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what steps will be taken by the Department following the consultation on the effectiveness of the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 as it applies to internal industry payments practices;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 in encouraging the timely settlement of construction industry debts.

Alun Michael: My written statement to the House on Monday 16 January announced the publication of "Improving Payment Practices in the Construction Industry—Analysis of the Consultation on Proposals to Amend Part II of the Housing Grants Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 and the Scheme for Construction Contracts (England and Wales) Regulations 1998".

Military Hardware Exports

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the value was of defence military hardware exports to (a) Poland and (b) Hungary in 2005.

Malcolm Wicks: The DTI Export Control Organisation (ECO) is responsible only for holding information on the licences it has issued, not on exports made under those licences. The Government publishes detailed information on its export licensing decisions, including the total value of standard individual export licences (SIELs) issued, by destination, in its annual and quarterly reports on strategic export controls. Her Majesty's Revenue and Custom collects some data on exports of military list items which is published, by destination, in the annual reports.
	The annual reports are available from the Libraries of the House, and the quarterly reports, from the DTI Export Control Organisation website, www.dti.gov.uk/export.control. We expect to publish the 2005 annual report by June 2006, and the final quarterly report for 2005, by end March 2006.

Miners' Compensation

Michael Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many coal health claimants have been under surveillance since the scheme started; how many proven cases of fraud there have been in relation to (a) vibration white finger claims and (b) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease claims; what the total cost has been to date of audit investigations on counter fraud procedures for each scheme; and what estimate he has made of the savings made through surveillance procedures.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 11 January 2006
	Surveillance has been undertaken on 80 claimants since the start of the schemes.
	The main protection against fraud/exaggeration in the schemes is the medical assessment process in the respiratory disease scheme and the employment requirement in the vibration white finger (VWF) scheme. About 10 per cent. (26,000) of respiratory disease and 20 per cent. (24,000) VWF claims have been denied.
	In addition, of 2,199 claims investigated as potentially fraudulent, 789 claims have been reduced or denied, 46 of which were as a result of surveillance. This is made up of 683 VWF, 100 COPD and six other claims. The total saving for anti-fraud activity is approximately £10.75 million of which approximately £870,000 has been saved from cases in which surveillance was used. The total cost of counter-fraud activity is approximately £3 million.

Nuclear Industry

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what liabilities for pensions for workers in the state-owned sector of the nuclear industry are anticipated following any sale of companies in that sector.

Malcolm Wicks: The liabilities for accrued pensions will remain constant and therefore the effect will be neutral. Until the sale of Westinghouse is concluded and the competition of sites is completed we will not know how many staff will transfer to the private sector and how many will transfer accrued pension rights.

Departmental Expenditure

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent by her Department on new works of art in each year since 1997; where each item is located; and whether each item is accessible to the public.

David Lammy: The following figures represent how much the Government Art Collection (part of the Department for Culture, Media & Sport) has spent on works of art since 1 April1997, including the current Financial Year:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 1997–98 137,000 
			 1998–99 127,000 
			 1999–2000 179,000 
			 2000–01 135,000 
			 2001–02 158,000 
			 2002–03 253,600 
			 2003–04 225,200 
			 2004–05 295,500 
			 2005–10 January 2006 242,600 
		
	
	Some works of art included in these figures have been purchased or commissioned by the Government Art Collection on behalf of other Government Departments. These figures exclude works of art commissioned for the new Home Office building, Marsham Street, London as the project is ongoing and costs have not been finalised.
	A list of current locations of works of art purchased since 1 April 1997 (as of 10 January 2006) and listed by Government Department and Government Art Collection (GAC), is provided in a separate document. I am arranging for copies of this document to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
	The GAC's acquisition policy is guided by the Advisory Committee on the GAC which is a non-departmental public body. Members are both independent and ex-officio, including the Directors of the Tate, National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery.
	The GAC plays a unique role in the UK in displaying works of art from its holdings in major Government buildings in the UK and abroad, in order to promote British art, culture and history. Due to the nature of Government buildings and current security issues, it is not possible for the general public to gain open access to most of the works on a daily basis. However, the buildings in which the works of art are displayed—in reception rooms, entrance halls, Minister's and ambassador's offices—all receive many thousands of visitors per year, all over the world.
	Members of the public may consult the GAC to see individual works of art. Additionally, many Government buildings in the UK (including the GAC's own premises) are accessible during the annual Open House Weekend. The GAC also gives regular tours throughout the year round its premises, lends works of art to public exhibitions, and operates a website (www.gac.culture.gov.uk) listing and illustrating all its original works of art. A growing number of historical and modern prints are being added to this.

Elite Athlete Funding

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 19 December 2005, Official Report, column 32W, on elite athletes (funding), what the title was of UK Sports's submission; what level of funding it envisaged; over how many years; and what aspirational target for medals it set.

Richard Caborn: UK Sport's submission to the Department was called "A Sporting Chance for all in 2012: Additional Funding to Support Team GB Success at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games: Options for the Chancellor's 2005 Pre-Budget Report: Submission from UK Sport".
	The submission presents a 'top line' funding package together with a range of options for additional investment in the run-up to London 2012, starting in 2006. The submission identifies potential medal targets for 2012 depending on the resources available.
	As this policy advice is under active consideration, it would not be appropriate to divulge further details.

Theatre Audiences

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the percentage of audiences representing black and minority ethnic communities at (a) the National Theatre, (b) the Royal Opera House and (c) the English National Opera in the last year for which figures are available.

David Lammy: 9 per cent. of English National Opera's (ENO) audience for the period 2004–05 were from the black and minority ethnic community. In addition, a February 2003 to May 2004 snapshot shows that 44 per cent. of participants in projects run by ENO Baylis (ENO's education programme) were from the black and minority ethnic community.
	No comparable statistics were available for the Royal Opera House or National Theatre.
	The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, working in partnership with its non-departmental public body partners, has commissioned the "Taking Part" survey which aims to improve our current knowledge of engagement in our sectors. The data collected will enable a robust measurement of the departmental Public Service Agreement (PSA) target on increasing participation and attendance amongst priority groups. These include people from the black and minority ethnic community.

Violent Computer Games

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will commission research on the impact of violent computer games on individuals.

James Purnell: We commissioned research last year to determine whether there was any substance to allegations of a link between playing violent computer games and violent behaviour in real life. We will be publishing the results of the research shortly.

Departmental Expenditure

Michael Weir: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the annual expenditure on (a) fixtures and fittings, (b) general office expenses and (c) office equipment was of his (i) Department and (ii) each (A) non-departmental public body, (B) Executive agency and (C) other public body for which his Department is responsible in (1) Scotland, (2) Wales, (3) each English region and (4) Northern Ireland in each of the last three financial years; and what the planned expenditure is for 2005–06 in each case.

Phil Woolas: The information requested is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has no properties in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

Departmental Jobs (Regional Distribution)

Michael Weir: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many and what percentage of jobs in (a) his Department and (b) each (i) non-departmental public body, (ii) executive agency and (iii) other public body for which his Department is responsible are located in (A) England, excluding Greater London and (B) Greater London.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The figures on permanent staff (FTE basis) in Departments and agencies are published in Table D of Civil Service Statistics. This information is available on the Cabinet Office Statistics website at:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management_of_the_civil_ service/statistics/civil_service_statistics/index.asp
	Information on staff in non-departmental public bodies on a regional basis is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Housing

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many local authorities have used provisions in the Local Government Act 2004 to borrow for housing; against what (a) revenue stream and (b) security such borrowing is allowed; what the process of authorisation for such borrowing is; and whether such borrowing is (i) on and (ii) off balance sheet on (A) local and (B) national level.

Phil Woolas: No information is centrally available on the number of local authorities which have borrowed for housing under the powers in the Local Government Act 2003, which came into force on 1 April 2004. An authority's borrowing for its own housing stock must be affordable from the resources available from its housing revenue account. All money borrowed by a local authority has to be secured against its total revenues. Authorities may borrow for capital spending without Government consent, provided that they can afford to service the debt out of their revenues. Any borrowing by an authority will be on its balance sheet and would appear on the balance sheet of any national consolidation of local authority accounts.

Housing

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  how much money he estimates the Government's proposed housing levy will raise in Milton Keynes unitary authority in each of the next five years;
	(2)  whether the housing levy raised within the Milton Keynes unitary authority will be ring fenced for use solely within Milton Keynes unitary authority.

Yvette Cooper: As part of its response to Kate Barker's Review of Housing Supply, the Government are currently consulting on the introduction of planning gain supplement (PGS), which would apply to residential and non-residential land. PGS would capture a modest portion of the land value uplift created by the planning process, in order to help finance additional infrastructure, while preserving incentives to bring forward land for development.
	PGS would not be implemented before 2008. The level of PGS has not yet been set. It is premature to attempt to estimate the amount of PGS that might be raised in Milton Keynes unitary authority in 2008 and beyond.
	PGS would be an essentially local measure. A significant majority of PGS revenues would be recycled directly to the local level for local priorities. This would help local communities to share better the benefits of growth and manage its impacts. As part of its consultation, the Government are consulting on how PGS revenues should be recycled to the local level for local priorities and how they should be used to fund strategic infrastructure at the regional level.
	Separate from PGS there is currently a mechanism under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 as substituted by the Planning and Compensation Act 1991 whereby parties with an interest in land may enter into a planning obligation enforceable by the local planning authority. Such planning obligations are used to make acceptable development which would otherwise be unacceptable in planning terms, for example to compensate for loss or damage created by a development or mitigate a developments' impact.
	An approach to standardising planning obligations has been developed in Milton Keynes. Milton Keynes Partnership Committee (MKPC, which has development control powers in the Milton Keynes expansion areas) has developed a "prospectus" identifying and prioritising the local and strategic infrastructure needed to deliver 15,000 homes in the expansion flanks over the period to 2016. The prospectus identifies the contributions to infrastructure that will be made by developers, through planning obligations, broken down on a per dwelling basis. The s106 contribution that developers are expected to make amounts to around £18,500 per dwelling, plus land for social infrastructure and affordable housing. This represents approximately one quarter of the total £1.2 billion infrastructure cost of the infrastructure development identified by MKP, with the remainder to be sought from mainstream and growth area public sector funding. Further details of the expected uses of such contributions over the next five years can be found in recent MKPC papers (in particular September and December 2005) available online at: http://www.mkweb.co.uk/mkpartnership/home.asp.

Housing Act 2004

Greg Pope: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he plans to issue guidance relating to the Housing Act 2004.

Yvette Cooper: The following table sets out the timetable for guidance relating to the Housing Act 2004. Guidance covering Wales is a matter for the National Assembly.
	
		Housing Act 2004: Timetable for guidance
		
			 Provision/Part Proposed/Actual publication date of guidance 
		
		
			 Part 1—Housing Conditions Statutory guidance for local authorities on the operation of the Housing Health and Safety Rating System was laid before Parliament on 28 November. Subject to the parliamentary procedure, it will be published before part 1 of the Act is implemented on 6 April, together with non-statutory guidance for other users of the rating system. 
			   
			 Parts 2, 3, 4 and 7—HMO and Selective Licensing The Act does not provide for formal guidance but explanatory information will be made available for landlords and tenants. It is also intended that informal advice will be issued to local authorities in due course. 
			   
			 Part 4—Empty Dwelling Management Orders March 2006 
			   
			 Part 5—Home Information Packs Draft SI "The Home Information Pack Regulations 2006" and accompanying guidance published for consultation (consultation period ended 30 December 2005). Final version of regulations and guidance planned to be made in spring 2006. This will be supplemented by more general consumer guidance as part of planned publicity campaign on home information packs. 
			   
			 Part 6—Right to Buy modifications Guidance has been issued for the changes to Right to Buy. The guidance booklet entitled 'Your Right to Buy your home' was revised together with the relevant Right to Buy forms. Copies of these have been issued to local authorities and housing associations. 
			  Guidance on landlords' discretion not to require repayment of discount, which was clarified by section 185 of the Act, was also issued in January 2005. 
			   
			 Part 6—Suspension of certain rights in connection with antisocial behaviour ASB measures in part 6 of the Act commenced in June 2005. They include enabling local authorities to extend the period of introductory tenancies and withhold consent to mutual exchange on ASB grounds as well as measures to prevent tenants exercising the right to buy. We will be issuing a factsheet on these measures in the near future following commencement of associated regulations. 
			   
			 Part 6—Gypsy and Traveller accommodation needs assessments We intend to publish guidance under section 226 of the Housing Act, in respect of section 225, which relates to the assessment of the accommodation needs of Gypsies and Travellers, in January 2006. 
			   
			 Part 6—Tenant Deposit Protection Explanatory information to be issued from spring/summer 2006.

Planning

David Gauke: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what rights of appeal residents have to a proposed development by a statutory undertaking in accordance with Schedule II, Part 17 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 (S.I. 1995/418).

Yvette Cooper: Residents do not have a right of appeal in relation to the permitted development of statutory undertakers authorised by the General Permitted Development Order (GPDO). In exceptional circumstances a local planning authority may consider that normal planning control should apply to permitted development. The planning authority can make and submit to the Secretary of State, my right hon.. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister a direction under Article 4 of the GPDO seeking the removal of the particular permitted development right and requiring an application for planning permission. Each submission for an Article 4 direction is considered on its own merits.

Private Rented Accommodation

Grant Shapps: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many students living in private rented accommodation were recorded in total in England on form CBT1 returned by local authorities on 21 October 2005.

Yvette Cooper: Information on the numbers of dwellings within each billing authority area that are subject to exemptions from council tax, or where some residents are disregarded for council tax purposes, are collected on the CTB1 (Supplementary) form. While some of the categories largely relate to students (e.g. exemption class N, for "a dwelling which is occupied only by students, the foreign spouses of students, or school and colleague leavers"), they do not provide a basis for making reliable estimates of the number of students living in private rented accommodation. This is because it does not include other information such as the tenure of dwellings, and the number of students in each dwelling, that would be needed to make an estimate.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will reply to the letter dated 5 December 2005 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Ms R. Hughes.

Kim Howells: We have no record of having received this letter and have requested a copy from my right hon. Friend's office. My right. hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary will reply as soon as possible after a copy of the letter is received.

Departmental Expenditure

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the annual expenditure on training and development by (a) his Department and (b) each (i) non-departmental public body, (ii) executive agency and (iii) other public body for which he is responsible in (A) Scotland, (B) Wales, (C) each of the English regions and (D) Northern Ireland was in each of the last three financial years; and what the planned expenditure is for 2005–06.

Jack Straw: The approximate figures for expenditure on training and development are as follows:
	
		Foreign and Commonwealth Office
		
			  £000 
		
		
			 2002–03 9,136 
			 2003–04 11,429 
			 2004–05 13,171 
			 2005–06 (Est.) 14,919 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Includes all training and development costs (including languages, ICT, security, consular and visa work), most training-related travel where separately identifiable.
	2. Excludes most staff costs, indirect and overhead costs.
	3. Figures apply to the FCO's staff in the UK (all in the South East of England) as well as diplomatic missions overseas.
	
		British Council £000
		
			   Of which: 
			  Total Scotland Wales England Northern Ireland 
		
		
			 2002–03 5,200 14 8 5,172 6 
			 2003–04 7,300 25 8 7,261 6 
			 2004–05 6,500 25 6 6,456 13 
			 2005–06 (Est.) 4,400 25 6 4,354 15 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Includes all direct costs and fees, travel and accommodation, project budgets relating to staff development and the indirect cost of staff attendance.
	2. Excludes apportionment of overhead costs.
	3. British Council figures are not broken down by English region.
	
		Wilton Park
		
			  £000 
		
		
			 2002–03 15 
			 2003–04 16 
			 2004–05 15 
			 2005–06 (Est.) 23 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures apply to the South East of England.
	
		Westminster Foundation for Democracy
		
			  £000 
		
		
			 2002–03 1 
			 2003–04 1 
			 2004–05 6 
			 2005–06 (Est.) 10 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures apply to the South East of England.
	No other non-departmental public bodies reported expenditure in any financial year over £1,000.

Departmental Expenditure

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much has been spent in each year since 1997 by his Department on salaries paid to civil servants.

Jack Straw: The amount spent on salaries paid to UK based civil servants in each year since 1997 is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 Financial year Amount 
		
		
			 1997–98 127,942,176.19 
			 1998–99 128,674,412.28 
			 1999–2000 135,464,386.85 
			 2000–01 147,110,659.02 
			 2001–02 152,775,417.07 
			 2002–03 171,743,435.00 
			 2003–04 177,045,645.99 
			 2004–05 185,914,352.64

Iran

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in securing the return from Iran of the naval and military equipment seized by them in the Shatt-al Arab.

Kim Howells: We have raised the return of boats and equipment with the Iranian authorities on numerous occasions, at both Ministerial and senior official level, in Tehran and London. The British Ambassador in Tehran did so most recently on 12 December. Our discussions are continuing.

Iran

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of Iran's progress towards ratifying the Additional Protocol; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: In the 'Tehran Statement' of 12 October 2003, Iran agreed to sign an additional protocol to its Safeguards Agreement, and to commence ratification procedures. It further stated that
	"as a confirmation of its good intentions, the Iranian Government will continue to co-operate with the [International Atomic Energy] Agency (IAEA) in accordance with the Protocol in advance of its ratification".
	Iran signed the Additional Protocol on 18 December 2003. In the Paris Agreement of 15 November 2004, Iran again reaffirmed that it would
	"continue to implement the Additional Protocol voluntarily pending ratification".
	Iran has not yet ratified the Protocol. In its most recent resolution on 24 September 2005, the IAEA Board of Governors urged Iran
	"promptly to ratify and implement in full the Additional Protocol"
	and
	"pending completion of the ratification of the Additional Protocol, to continue to act in accordance with the provisions".

Israel

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the likelihood of a pre-emptive strike by Israel on Iran's nuclear facilities.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary said in the House on 10 January that he had
	"made it clear that military action is not on our agenda, and I do not believe that in practice it is on anybody else's agenda."

Pakistan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Pakistan on the growth in the number of cases being brought before the courts for the charge of blasphemy.

Kim Howells: We make regular representations to the Government of Pakistan regarding the Blasphemy Laws. In December 2005 the UK and EU Partners démarche raised its concerns with the Government of Pakistan about the 19 cases of Blasphemy registered in 2005. With our European Union partners we encourage the Government of Pakistan to repeal or modify the Blasphemy Laws to remove the possibility of the Laws being misused.

Terrorist Suspects (Guantanamo Bay)

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has (a) received and (b) made to the United States Administration on behalf of Bisher Al-Rawi and Jamil Al-Banna currently detained at Guantanamo Bay.

Kim Howells: While it is long-standing policy that we cannot provide consular assistance for individuals who are not British nationals, we agreed exceptionally in March and April 2005 to meet the families of the five detainees in Guantanamo Bay whom we knew were resident in the UK, but who are not British citizens. My noble Friend the former Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister of State, Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean, met the families and representatives of Bisher Al-Rawi on 5 April 2005 and of Jamil Al-Banna on 19 April 2005. We passed the concerns expressed to us by the families to the US authorities. We were additionally asked to submit an amicus curiae brief on behalf of these five detainees in court proceedings in the United States. We gave careful consideration to this request, but concluded that the most effective way to achieve real improvements to the situation of the detainees was through continuing discussions about Guantanamo and detainee policy with the US authorities.
	We continue to receive correspondence from members of the public and others who have concerns about Guantanamo Bay, including about detainees who were resident in the UK. We have always made clear that we regard the circumstances under which detainees are continuing to be held in Guantanamo Bay as unacceptable. The US Government knows our views. We will continue to raise our concerns at official and ministerial level, and to work with the US authorities to resolve the issues of concern to us.

UK Ambassador (Buenos Aires)

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the works of art stolen from the UK ambassador's temporary residence in Buenos Aires in August 2001; what the value was of each item; and if he will make a statement on (a) the security arrangements in place at the time of the robbery and (b) any changes subsequently made.

Jack Straw: In August 2001, our ambassador in Buenos Aires moved to a temporary residence in order that the principal residence be refurbished. During this move, a number of works of art were stolen from the ambassador's temporary residence shortly before it was occupied. These were:
	"Offering to Jupiter" painting by Michael Rocca, value £80,000.
	"Lake Landscape" painting by George Arnauld, value £35,000.
	"St. James's Park and Banqueting Rooms" painting by Anthony Higmore, value £60,000.
	"Landscape" painting by Edward Charles Williams, value £60,000.
	"Sir Woodbine Parish" painting by Edmund Dyer (after Thomas Phillips RA), value £5,000.
	Immediately following this incident, a full police investigation was initiated. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not comment on specific security measures taken to protect its missions and residences overseas. However, the FCO takes the security of our staff and official premises very seriously and security arrangements at all our posts are regularly reviewed, including after incidents of this nature.

Wouter Basson

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the reasons were for each of the three démarches made by and on behalf of the UK Government to (a) President Mandela and (b) the South African Government in respect of Wouter Basson; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: Démarches were made to the South African Government to highlight the Government's concerns about the onward proliferation risk of any remaining records or expertise relating to offensive Chemical and Biological Weapons programmes, and to encourage South Africa to submit a confidence building measure return to the United Nations in respect of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention.

Health Boards (Agency Staff)

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the costs have been to each health board of employing private agency staff in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: The bulk of the costs in question are incurred by the 19 HSS trusts. The information provided in the table relates agency expenditure to a trust's host Board i.e. the area in which each trust is located.
	
		
			£000 
			 Board 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 EHSSB 14,822 16,503 19,428 
			 NHSSB 3,247 8,209 8,258 
			 SHSSB 1,272 1,108 811 
			 WHSSB 2,777 3,506 4,522 
			 Total 22,118 29,326 33,019 
		
	
	In addition, the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, in providing its regional service, incurred expenditure on agency staff of £267,000 and £306,000 in the years 2003–04 and 2004–05 respectively. It incurred no such expenditure in 2002–03.

Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the steps being taken to resolve the current pay disputes within the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency.

Angela Smith: The chief executive of NISRA has sought delegated authority for the pay of survey interviewers with a view to resolving the outstanding pay issue for this group. The relevant trade union has been consulted on this issue and its views are currently being considered by the Department.

Water Charges/Service

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was paid in (a) wages and (b) overtime in each of the Water Service telemetry centres in each of the last three years.

Shaun Woodward: The Chief Executive of Water Service (Mrs. Katharine Bryan) has been asked to write to the hon. Gentleman in response to this question.
	Letter from Mrs. Katharine Bryan, dated 13 January 2006
	You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question about how much was paid in (a) wages and (b) overtime in each of the Water Service telemetry centres in each of the last three years (40641). I have been asked to reply as this issue falls within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Water Service.
	A breakdown of the total wage costs for the Water Service's 4 telemetry centres during the financial years 2002–03 and 2003–04 is set out below. As part of the changes in the financial reporting procedures, occasioned by Water Service's reorganisation into a functionalised structure in 2004–05, the wage costs for all of the telemetry centres were grouped together under a single cost centre. It would therefore be difficult to extract a breakdown of the costs for 2004–05 across the 4 telemetry centres without a lengthy and costly manual exercise.
	
		
			£ 
			  2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
			 Telemetry centre Wages Overtime Other pay costs(13) Wages Overtime Other pay costs(13) Total pay cost 
		
		
			 Marlborough House (Craigavon) 62,400 36,400 55,100 66,100 37,800 55,800 143,800 
			 Altnagelvin (Londonderry) 72,300 28,700 51,400 55,300 36,400 47,500 139,700 
			 Academy House (Ballymena) 71,400 39,700 53,600 73,500 43,400 57,300 132,200 
			 Westland House (Belfast) 54,600 56,300 51,500 (14)56,000 (14)57,700 (14)52,800 179,100 
		
	
	(13) Other pay costs include—Allowances, Employers National Insurance and Superannuation costs.
	(14) The Westland House costs for 2003–04 are estimated—actual costs are not readily available.

Academic Performance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on academic performance by (a) primary and (b) secondary pupils in (i) Somerset schools, (ii) England and (iii) the south west.

Jacqui Smith: The 2005 national results show that standards in both primary and secondary schools are continuing to rise, with improvements at every key stage this year. Since 1997 at key stage 2, English has increased by 16 percentage points (pp) to 79 per cent. and in maths by 13 pp to 75 per cent.. Provisional results at key stage 3 show English has increased by 17 pp to 74 per cent.; in maths by 14 pp to 74 per cent.; in science by 10 pp to 60 per cent.; and in ICT by 19 pp to 69 per cent. At key stage 4 provisional results show the percentage of pupils achieving 5+A*-C GCSEs has increased by 10.6 pp to 55.7 per cent.
	Standards of educational attainment in both primary and secondary schools in (a) Somerset and (b) the south west show that performance is above that of the national average. A summary of the 2005 outcomes is set out in the following table.
	Information about education and skills by constituency is made available by the Department through the 'In Your Area' web site, available at http://www.dfes.gov.uk/inyourarea.
	
		Performance level(15)
		
			  Primary—KS2 percentage achieved level 4+ Secondary—KS3 percentage achieved level 5+ Secondary—KS4 percentage achieved 5+ A*-C 
			  English Maths Science English Maths Science ICT GCSE or equivalent 
		
		
			 Somerset(16) 80 76 88 77 77 75 75 57.9 
			 National 79 75 86 74 74 70 69 55.7 
			 South West 79 75 87 75 75 73 72 55.8 
		
	
	(15) Data for KS2 is amended. For KS3 and KS4 data is provisional.
	(16) Overall figures for Bath and NE Somerset, North Somerset and Somerset local authorities.

Administrative Costs

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the administrative costs were of each agency for which she has responsibility in the last year for which figures are available; what the total of such costs was in that year; and whether the costs are regarded for the purposes of public expenditure statistical analyses as (a) identifiable and (b) non-identifiable.

Bill Rammell: The Department for Education and Skills is not responsible for any agencies. Further details of the Department's expenditure are outlined in the Department for Education and Skills' departmental report 2005, a copy of which is available in the House Library (Cm6522).

Administrative Costs

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the administrative costs were of each non-departmental public body for which she has responsibility in the last year for which figures are available; what the total of such costs was in that year; and whether the costs are regarded for the purposes of public expenditure statistical analyses as (a) identifiable and (b) non-identifiable.

Bill Rammell: The administrative costs for 2004–05 of those non-departmental public bodies for which the Secretary of State for Education and Skills has responsibility are listed as follows. All of these costs are regarded for the purposes of public expenditure statistical analyses as identifiable costs.
	
		Net administration costs of non-departmental public bodies(17)(18)
		
			  £000 
		
		
			 Adult Learning Inspectorate 25,818 
			 British Educational Communications and Technology  Agency 15,460 
			 Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service 105,304 
			 Higher Education Funding Council for England 18,304 
			 Investors in People 2,297 
			 Learning and Skills Council 212,257 
			 National College for School Leadership 17,677 
			 Office for Fair Access(19) 410 
			 Partnership for Schools(19) 7,667 
			 Qualifications and Curriculum Authority 41,141 
			 Sector Skills Development Agency 5,715 
			 Student Loans Company(20) 48,337 
			 Training and Development Agency for Schools 14,476 
			 Construction Industry Training Board(21) 39,844 
			 Engineering Construction Industry Training Board(21) 93 
			 Total 554,800 
		
	
	(17) Receipts relating to administration costs have been deducted.
	(18) Out-turn figures are from individual NDPB annual accounts.
	(19) The Office for Fair Access and Partnership for Schools are new NDPBs set up in 2004–05.
	(20) The SLC administration figures are for the whole of the UK and include contributions from Scotland and Ireland.
	(21) Funded by industry levies and not from DfES funds.

Degree Courses

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students were admitted onto degree courses in each year since 1997–98, broken down by (a) socio-economic class and (b) ethnic group.

Bill Rammell: The latest available information is given in the following tables. The figures are taken from data collected by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) which are limited to students who apply to full-time first degree courses via the UCAS application system. The figures do not therefore cover part-time students nor those full-time students who apply directly to Higher Education Institutions.
	
		(a) Number of UK domiciled students accepted onto full-time degree courses by UK higher education institutions 
		
			  by social class 
			  1997/98 1998/99 1999/00 2000/01 2001/02 
		
		
			 Total number accepted 276,505 272,340 277,340 281,810 298,055 
			 Of which:  
			 I. Professional 37,760 36,850 37,250 37,305 38,195 
			 II. Intermediate 109,020 107,695 108,030 109,820 113,285 
			 IIIN. Skilled non-manual 34,090 32,475 33,215 34,515 35,525 
			 IIIM. Skilled manual 39,695 39,505 39,920 39,780 43,570 
			 IV. Partly skilled 20,850 20,345 20,585 21,590 20,795 
			 V. Unskilled 4,895 4,605 4,770 4,805 4,885 
			 Unknown 30,195 30,870 33,570 33,995 41,800 
		
	
	
		
			  by socio-economic group 
			  2002/03 2003/04 2004/05 
		
		
			 Total number accepted 309,460 316,240 320,535 
			 Of which:
			 1. Higher managerial and professional 59,425 58,035 58,595 
			 2. Lower managerial and professional 79,660 80,180 82,310 
			 3. Intermediate occupations 39,835 38,930 39,500 
			 4. Small employers 18,525 18,845 18,950 
			 5. Lower supervisory/technical 11,835 12,695 12,540 
			 6. Semi-routine 31,895 33,065 33,930 
			 7. Routine 14,310 14,015 14,335 
			 Unknown 53,970 60,480 60,375 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 5 so components may not sum to totals.
	2. The classification used to record the social background of students changed between academic years 2001/02 and 2002/03, and so the two sets of data in these tables are not directly comparable.
	Source:
	The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).
	
		(b) Number of UK domiciled students accepted onto full-time degree courses by UK higher education institutions, by ethnic group
		
			  1997/98 1998/99 1999/00 2000/01 
		
		
			 Total number accepted 276,505 272,340 277,340 281,810 
			 Of which: 
			 Asian 22,665 23,540 25,050 26,990 
			 Black 8,330 7,980 8,350 8,910 
			 White 224,450 216,880 219,920 222,045 
			 Other 4,215 4,215 4,600 5,110 
			 Unknown 16,845 19,730 19,415 18,750 
		
	
	
		
			  2001/02 2002/03 2003/04 2004/05 
		
		
			 Total number accepted 298,055 309,460 316,240 320,535 
			 Of which: 
			 Asian 28,820 28,775 29,735 30,565 
			 Black 9,240 9,815 11,565 12,505 
			 Mixed 5,150 5,850 6,420 7,215 
			 White 231,370 238,350 244,300 247,990 
			 Other 2,035 1,940 2,090 2,660 
			 Unknown 21,445 24,725 22,130 19,600 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 5 so components may not sum to totals.
	2. The classification of ethnic group changed between academic years 2000/01 and 2001/02 in order to incorporate those of mixed ethnicity, and so the two sets of data in these tables are not directly comparable.
	Source:
	The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).

Departmental Expenditure

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much her Department spent on bottled water in 2004–05.

Maria Eagle: Our data shows that £58,401 was spent via the Department's framework contract. £39,875 of this total was spent on bottled water, the remainder being on ancillary products such as cups and maintenance.
	A further £43,629 was spent "off contract". To provide the information requested for this spend could be provided only at disproportionate costs.

Disabled Children (School Holiday Support)

Edward Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many qualified staff are available to support families with disabled children during school holidays in (a) West Yorkshire, (b) Wakefield District and (c) Normanton constituency; and whether she plans to increase resources in this area.

Maria Eagle: The information requested is not held by the Department and to collect it would incur disproportionate cost.

Educational Psychologists

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many educational psychologists are employed by local education authorities.

Jacqui Smith: Information on the number of educational psychologists in service is collected in January of each year. The following table provides the full-time equivalent number of educational psychologists employed in each local authority in January 1997 and 2005.
	
		Full-time equivalent number of educational psychologists(28) in local authorities in England, January 1997 and 2005
		
			  1997 2005 
		
		
			 City of London (28)— (28)— 
			 Camden 8 16 
			 Greenwich 16 15 
			 Hackney 11 12 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 7 11 
			 Islington 10 14 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 9 6 
			 Lambeth 13 14 
			 Lewisham 14 12 
			 Southwark 14 15 
			 Tower Hamlets 14 15 
			 Wandsworth 11 12 
			 City of Westminster 10 9 
			 Barking and Dagenham 13 15 
			 Barnet 16 15 
			 Bexley 11 14 
			 Brent 12 14 
			 Bromley 12 10 
			 Croydon 10 15 
			 Ealing 13 14 
			 Enfield 15 23 
			 Haringey 15 13 
			 Harrow 11 13 
			 Havering 8 10 
			 Hillingdon 12 14 
			 Hounslow 10 11 
			 Kingston upon Thames 5 8 
			 Merton 7 8 
			 Newham 12 12 
			 Redbridge 8 11 
			 Richmond upon Thames 7 7 
			 Sutton 6 8 
			 Waltham Forest 13 12 
			 Birmingham 39 55 
			 Coventry 13 11 
			 Dudley 11 12 
			 Sandwell 14 16 
			 Solihull 9 12 
			 Walsall 11 11 
			 Wolverhampton 12 18 
			 Knowsley 9 5 
			 Liverpool 16 20 
			 St. Helens 6 8 
			 Sefton 10 12 
			 Wirral 14 15 
			 Bolton 8 10 
			 Bury 8 8 
			 Manchester 18 19 
			 Oldham 7 11 
			 Rochdale 8 6 
			 Salford 10 11 
			 Stockport 12 13 
			 Tameside 8 12 
			 Trafford 5 6 
			 Wigan 12 12 
			 Barnsley 4 9 
			 Doncaster 11 15 
			 Rotherham 12 9 
			 Sheffield 19 17 
			 Bradford 19 13 
			 Calderdale 8 5 
			 Kirklees 22 25 
			 Leeds 15 32 
			 Wakefield 10 11 
			 Gateshead 9 14 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 14 13 
			 North Tyneside 7 11 
			 South Tyneside 6 8 
			 Sunderland 12 11 
			 Isles of Scilly (28)— (28)— 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 5 (28)— 
			 City of Bristol 17 16 
			 North Somerset 8 10 
			 South Gloucestershire 7 10 
			 Hartlepool 3 4 
			 Middlesbrough 5 8 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 5 5 
			 Stockton on Tees 9 10 
			 City of Kingston Upon Hull 8 12 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 8 9 
			 North East Lincolnshire 4 7 
			 North Lincolnshire 5 4 
			 North Yorkshire 13 16 
			 York 7 9 
			 Bedfordshire 16 16 
			 Luton n/a 5 
			 Buckinghamshire 25 23 
			 Milton Keynes n/a 12 
			 Derbyshire 32 31 
			 Derby n/a 11 
			 Dorset 25 19 
			 Poole n/a 7 
			 Bournemouth n/a 7 
			 Durham 23 27 
			 Darlington n/a 5 
			 East Sussex 18 17 
			 Brighton and Hove n/a 12 
			 Hampshire 61 52 
			 Portsmouth n/a 8 
			 Southampton n/a 13 
			 Leicestershire 26 19 
			 Leicester n/a 26 
			 Rutland n/a (28)— 
			 Staffordshire 28 28 
			 Stoke on Trent n/a 14 
			 Wiltshire 13 20 
			
			 Former Berkshire 21 n/a 
			 Swindon n/a 8 
			 Bracknell Forest n/a 5 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead n/a 6 
			 West Berkshire n/a 9 
			 Reading n/a 5 
			
			 Slough n/a 11 
			 Wokingham n/a 7 
			 Cambridgeshire 20 18 
			 Peterborough n/a 8 
			 Cheshire 30 25 
			 Halton n/a 6 
			 Warrington n/a 8 
			 Devon 35 30 
			 Plymouth n/a 14 
			 Torbay n/a 6 
			 Essex 63 47 
			 Southend on Sea n/a 6 
			 Thurrock n/a 6 
			
			 Former Hereford and Worcester 22 n/a 
			 Herefordshire n/a 7 
			 Worcestershire n/a 24 
			
			 Kent 56 41 
			 Medway n/a 11 
			 Lancashire 55 43 
			 Blackburn with Darwen n/a 11 
			 Blackpool n/a 8 
			 Nottinghamshire 33 29 
			 Nottingham n/a 14 
			
			 Former Shropshire 13 n/a 
			 Shropshire(30) n/a (28)— 
			 Telford and Wrekin(30) n/a 14 
			
			 Cornwall 13 17 
			 Cumbria 17 11 
			 Gloucestershire 9 23 
			 Hertfordshire 35 38 
			 Isle of Wight 4 6 
			 Lincolnshire 19 22 
			 Norfolk 24 26 
			 Northamptonshire 23 30 
			 Northumberland 9 13 
			 Oxfordshire 18 27 
			 Somerset 16 25 
			 Suffolk 16 20 
			 Surrey 34 41 
			 Warwickshire 15 20 
			 West Sussex 22 35 
			 England 1,768 2,156 
		
	
	n/a=not available.
	(28) Includes those on secondment for in service and initial training for Educational Psychologists.
	(29) Signifies <1.
	(30) Shropshire Educational Psychologists service is shared with Telford and Wrekin. Numbers are shown under Telford and Wrekin.
	Source:
	Annual survey of teacher numbers and teacher vacancies, Form 618g.

Falling School Rolls

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment has been made by the Department of the effects of falling school rolls in (a) the North East and (b) Gateshead, East and Washington, West constituency.

Jacqui Smith: The Department's national forecasts indicate that primary school rolls will fall by 129,000 between 2004/05 and 2007/08 with secondary rolls falling by 133,000 between 2004/05 and 2007/08.
	Local authority forecast data is at authority level and we do not have forecasts for the Gateshead, East and Washington, West constituency. Gateshead local authority's 2004 forecasts indicate that primary rolls will fall by 1,176 between 2004/05 and 2007/08 and secondary rolls will fall by 422 between 2004/05 and 2010/11. Sunderland local authority's 2004 forecasts indicate that primary rolls will fall by 2,739 between 2004/05 and 2007/08 and secondary rolls will fall by 1,876 between 2004/05 and 2010/11. We have developed a toolkit offering practical advice to help local authorities manage the challenges and opportunities presented by falling primary rolls. The toolkit is available at www.teachernet.gov.uk/fallingrolls.

Foster Carers

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps the Government are taking to ensure that foster carers are not discouraged by the welfare and benefits system from taking children on foster placements, with particular reference to housing benefit; and if she will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: Foster carers play a vital role and we are committed to ensuring that they are not discouraged from caring for children by financial issues.
	All payments to foster carers in respect of children placed with them are disregarded in the calculation of entitlements for income support, income-based jobseeker's allowance and housing benefit. For the purposes of jobseeker's allowance, foster carers are treated as not being in remunerative work and so no account is taken of the hours spent in 'caring' for the children whom they are fostering. In cases where single foster parents are caring for a child, they are treated in the same way as lone parents in terms of their entitlement to income support (provided they meet the criteria). This means that their potential entitlement is not dependent on their availability for employment.
	Moreover, in March 2003 Home Responsibilities Protection was extended to include foster carers. The number of years they need to work to qualify for the state pension will therefore be reduced to take into account their years of caring (including periods when they are awaiting a placement), thereby increasing their long-term financial security.
	Fosterline, a new advice line funded by the DfES, offers information for prospective and existing foster carers on a range of issues, including benefits.
	More widely, we are seeking to improve the financial support that foster carers receive through the introduction of a national minimum allowance. We shall be consulting on our proposals later this month.

Further Education

Stephen Pound: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what steps she is taking to ensure that the Learning and Skills Council is able to fund further education colleges sufficiently to meet the demand for places on non-basic skills courses for people aged over 19 years; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the extent to which the Learning and Skills Council is able to fund further education colleges sufficiently to meet the demand from those wishing to study English for speakers of other languages courses; and if she will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: On 21 October the Government set out their priorities for post-16 education including adult line. I set out the Government's priorities for the learning and skills sector and the impact on funding in 2006–07 and 2007–08 on the 21 October, and full details can be found in "Priorities for Success" on the LSC's website. Overall funding for further education (FE) which includes adult skills increased by 4.4 per cent. in 2005–06. Funding for non-vocational learning opportunities for adults, delivered mainly through local authority adult education services, has also increased. In 2004–05 we provided over £207 million to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) in support of this learning. This has risen to £210 million in 2005–06. After piloting from 2002 we have also announced the national roll-out of the National Employer Training Programme in 2006–07 with a budget rising to £399 million in 2007–08. Through their dialogue with providers and their assessment of the needs of local communities, LSCs agree plans which enable colleges and other providers to deliver a wide range of learning opportunities to meet the needs of learners and employers. Literacy, numeracy and English language learning is a key priority.

HE/FE Drop-out Rates

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what statistics the Government keep on drop-out rates from further and higher education courses.

Bill Rammell: Since 1996/97, information on projected non-completion rates for higher education students has been published annually, initially by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and latterly by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) in "Performance Indicators in Higher Education". The latest available figures giving overall non-completion rates for students starting full-time first degree courses in England are shown in the table. Figures published in 2005 by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) showed that in 2003 the UK had one of the lowest higher education non-completion rates among OECD countries.
	
		Percentage of UK domiciled full-time first degree students expected neither to obtain an award nor transfer—English higher education institutions Percentage
		
			 Students starting courses in: Non-completion rate 
		
		
			 2002/03 13.9 
			 2001/02 13.8 
			 2000/01 15.0 
			 1999/2000 15.9 
			 1998/99 15.8 
			 1997/98 16.1 
			 1996/97 15.7 
		
	
	Source:
	"Performance Indicators in Higher Education", published by HESA. For 2002/03, the projected outcomes summarise the pattern of movements of students at institutions between 2002/03 and 2003/04 and give the outcomes that would have been expected from starters in 2002/03 if progression patterns were to remain unchanged over the next few years. The HESA data show the proportion of entrants who are projected to: obtain a qualification (either a first degree or another undergraduate award); transfer to another HEI; neither obtain a qualification nor transfer (i.e. fail to complete the course).
	One of the measures used by the Government to monitor performance in further education is the learner retention rate. The learner retention rate is the proportion of qualification aims for which all learning activities were completed.
	Learner retention rates are published annually in a Statistical First Release (http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000583/index.shtml). The overall learner retention rate for FE colleges was 85 per cent. in 2003/04, the latest year for which final data are available.
	Retention rates for individual colleges can be downloaded from the LSC website (http://benchmarking data.lsc.gov.uk/year8/index.cfm). For the middle 80 per cent. of colleges the retention rate in 2003/04 lay in the range 78 per cent. to 91 per cent.
	Retention rates are highly dependent on the mix of qualifications done at a college. A college that does few short courses and many full courses is likely to get a relatively low retention rate, simply because the national retention rate for short courses is relatively high and the national retention rate for full courses is relatively low.
	FE college retention rates and HE institution non-completion rates are collected in different ways and are not comparable.

Home Schooling

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment has been made of the impact the proposals contained within the Education White Paper will have on local education authority powers to regulate home schooling.

Jacqui Smith: Local authorities have a duty to ensure that all children of compulsory school age in their locality receive a suitable full-time education. While the White Paper proposes a new statutory duty on local authorities to identify children missing education, it will not have any impact on local authority powers to regulate home schooling and there are no current plans to introduce compulsory registration of parents choosing to educate their children at home.

Local Strategic Partnerships

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what (a) guidance and (b) advice the Learning and Skills Councils have issued as to who should chair local strategic partnerships.

Bill Rammell: The consultation paper "Local Strategic Partnerships: Shaping the Future" launched on 8 December by my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister examines the future role of LSPs, their governance and accountability, and their capacity to deliver sustainable community strategies and local area agreements.
	Membership of LSPs is drawn from a wide range of local partners, including the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). The leadership of individual LSPs is a matter for local discretion and members' views can be sought on their chairmanship. The LSC has not issued guidance on who should chair LSPs.

Medicine

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many British medical students have studied in England in each year since 1997; how many were entrants from (a) the state sector and (b) the independent sector in each year; and if she will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The latest available figures for medical students are shown in the table. Information for 2004/05 will be available in January 2006. Information on the school background of young (under 21) higher education students is published annually by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) in "Performance Indicators in Higher Education", but this covers all students and does not show figures for each subject separately. The latest data collected by HESA for 2003/04, covering students of all ages, show that 30 per cent. of entrants to undergraduate medical and dentistry courses came from the independent sector, compared to 12 per cent. of entrants to all undergraduate courses of any subject. Comparable figures for earlier years are not available centrally at present.
	
		UK domiciled students on undergraduate medical courses, English HE institutions
		
			 Academic year Students 
		
		
			 1997/98 16,640 
			 1998/99 16,575 
			 1999/2000 16,650 
			 2000/01 17,215 
			 2001/02 17,970 
			 2002/03 20,540 
			 2003/04 22,695 
		
	
	Note:
	Numbers have been rounded to the nearest five.
	Source:
	Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

Postgraduates

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of students (a) studying for and (b) who achieved postgraduate degrees were educated in state schools in each year since 1997.

Bill Rammell: The available information on the previous school type of students is published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) in 'Performance Indicators in Higher Education in the UK'. However, these figures cover undergraduate entrants only and corresponding information for postgraduates is not available.
	The latest available information on the school background of higher education students covers young (aged under 21) first degree entrants, and is shown in the table.
	
		Proportion of UK domiciled young full-time first degree entrants to English Institutions from state schools and colleges
		
			  Academic Year Proportion from state schools and colleges 
		
		
			 1997/98 81.0 
			 1998/99 84.4 
			 1999/2000 84.1 
			 2000/01 85.0 
			 2001/02 85.2 
			 2002/03 86.4 
			 2003/04 86.1 
		
	
	Source:
	"Performance Indicators in Higher Education" published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

Qualifications (Gateshead)

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of working age people in Gateshead East and Washington West were (a) qualified to (i) post-graduate level, (ii) graduate level and (iii) A-level and (b) without qualifications in each year from 1990.

Phil Hope: The following table shows estimates of the level of highest qualification held by the working age population in the parliamentary constituency of Gateshead East and Washington West. Data comes from the Local Labour Force Survey. The number of people holding qualifications at post-graduate level and who were sampled in the LLFS, were too small to yield any meaningful estimates. The figures below therefore indicate the proportion qualified to either graduate level or equivalent (level 4), or postgraduate level (level 5). Qualified to A-level is defined as level 3 in the table. Data at parliamentary constituency level is not available prior to 1999.
	
		Percentage
		
			 Qualification level 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Level 4 or 5 18 16 18 18 23 25 
			 Level 3 16 12 14 14 13 12 
			 Trade apprenticeships(34) 13 13 12 10 7 7 
			 Level 2 13 17 17 17 17 16 
			 Below level 2 18 17 16 18 17 17 
			 Other qualifications(35) (36)— 7 4 5 6 7 
			 No qualifications 19 17 19 18 16 17 
		
	
	(34) For the purposes of target measurement people with trade apprenticeships as their highest qualification are assigned to level 3 and level 2 in the ratio of 50:50.
	(35) Qualifications that cannot be assigned directly to levels. For the purposes of target measurement, people with Other qualifications as their highest qualification level are assigned to level 3:level 2:below level 2 in the ratio of 10:35:55.
	(36) Estimates for 1999–2000 and 2000–01 based on small sample sizes have been suppressed as they are statistically unreliable. Estimates for later years based on small sample sizes have been given, and are therefore subject to a higher degree of sampling variability. They should therefore be treated with caution and, in particular, changes from year to year should not be used in isolation from the figures for a run of years.
	Notes:
	1. As with all sample surveys the estimates presented in this table are subject to sampling variability.
	2. Columns may not sum to 100 per cent. due to rounding.
	3. Working age people are defined as males and females aged 16–64 and 16–59 respectively.

Schools

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools in Shropshire did not exceed their budget in the 2004–05 financial year.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is contained within the following table:
	
		
			  Total 
		
		
			 Number of local authority maintained schools reported on section 52 outturn during financial year 2004–05(45) 167 
			 Number of schools over their revenue budget for 2004–05(46)(47) 122 
			 Total number of schools within their revenue budget for 2004–05(46)(48) 45 
		
	
	(45) Included in the above table are all local authority maintained nursery, primary, secondary and special schools reported by Shropshire local authority on their 2004–05 Section 52 Outturn Statement (Table B).
	(46) For the purposes of this table, a school is defined as operating within its revenue budget during 2004–05 if its closing revenue balance is greater than or equal to its opening revenue balance. The balance information reported in Shropshire's return is not internally consistent for all schools and in two cases this inconsistency, although relatively small, could mean that they should have been reported as over rather than within their revenue budget for the year.
	(47) Of the 122 schools who were within budget for 2004–05:
	eight started the year with a deficit revenue balance and remained in deficit at the end of the year;
	15 went from having a deficit revenue balance at the start of the year to being in surplus at the end of the year;
	99 started the year with a surplus revenue balance and ended the year further in surplus;
	(48) Of the 45 schools who were over budget for 2004–05:
	34 had sufficient surplus revenue balances at the start of the year that they still remained in surplus at the end of the year;
	seven went from having a surplus revenue balance at the start of the year to being in deficit at the end of the year;
	four started the year with a deficit revenue balance and ended the year further in deficit.
	Note:
	Data is as reported by Shropshire LA, but is being validated by the Department and is likely to change.

Schools White Paper

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the measures in the White Paper "Higher Standards, Better Schools for All" which have been proposed to address (a) root causes of social disadvantage and (b) religious and culture segregation in education.

Jacqui Smith: As stated in the first paragraph of the executive summary of the White Paper, "Higher Standards, Better Schools for All"; its aim is
	"to transform our school system so that every child receives an excellent education—whatever their background and wherever they live".
	All the policies set out in the White Paper will contribute to this aim and will address the root causes of social disadvantage and religious and cultural segregation in education. In particular:
	more personalisation enabling every school to provide an education tailored to the needs of every pupil, supported by catch up and extra support for those who need it to ensure that every child reaches their potential;
	ensuring that choice is more widely available to all, not just to those who can pay for it, will be delivered by better information, dedicated choice advisers and an extended transport offer to help the least well-off parents exercise choices;
	ensuring that school failure and underperformance, which is often most severe in disadvantaged areas, is tackled swiftly and decisively;
	ensuring that schools have the necessary freedoms to respond to the particular circumstances that they face in their locality and are able to engage and work with external partners to bring in additional expertise, including through the acquisition of trusts;
	ensuring that school staff have the necessary powers to deal effectively with disruptive pupils for the benefit of all children in the school;
	creating a new, strategic role for local authorities as the champions of pupils and parents in their area, particularly the most disadvantaged.

Schoolteachers and College Staff

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) school teachers and (b) college staff there are in each English region.

Jacqui Smith: Information on teachers employed in maintained schools is collected in January of each year and September for staff in further education colleges. The following table provides the full-time equivalent number of teachers in maintained schools in each local authority in January 2004 and 2005, and the full-time number of staff in further education colleges in September 2004, the latest information available.
	
		Full-time equivalent regular teachers in maintained schools and full-time staff in further education colleges by Government Office Region
		
			  Maintained schools Further education colleges(53) 
			  January 
			  2004 2005 September 2004 
		
		
			 North East 22,700 22,700 4,300 
			 North West 62,000 62,200 12,600 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 44,200 44,600 8,700 
			 East Midlands 36,200 36,400 5,400 
			 West Midlands 48,200 49,200 9,400 
			 East of England 47,100 47,200 6,100 
			 London 61,600 62,700 9,500 
			 South East 65,500 66,300 10,200 
			 South West 40,200 40,600 6,800 
			 Region Unknown — — 3,800 
			 England 427,700 431,900 76,800 
		
	
	(53) Information relates to full-time staff whose primary role is teaching and does not include other staff whose primary role is supporting teaching and learning or other support.
	Note:
	Figures are rounded to the nearest 100.
	Source:
	Annual survey of teacher numbers and teacher vacancies, (Form 618g) and Staff Individualised Record.

Sector Skills Bodies

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the Government Capital Reserve in the Learning and Skills Council Annual Report and Accounts 2004–05 is; and what guidelines cover its use.

Bill Rammell: I have overall responsibility for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). However the operations of the LSC are managed and overseen by Mark Haysom, the LSC's Chief Executive. Details of the LSC's Statutory Accounts and the guidelines and policies they use for the Government Capital Reserve are a matter for the LSC. Mark Haysom has written to the hon. Member with information and copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.
	Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 22 December 2005
	I refer to your recent parliamentary questions in which you asked the Secretary of State (a) what the donated asset reserve in the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) Annual Report and Accounts 2004–05 is and what guidelines cover its use (b) what the Government Capital Reserve in the LSC Annual Report and Accounts 2004–05 is and guidelines cover its use. I am pleased to provide the following information answering your questions below.
	The Donated Asset Reserve reflects the current net book value of the fixed assets transferred to the LSC from the Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs) when the LSC was set up. The Executive Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs) Annual Reports and Accounts Guidance for 2004–05 provides further detail on the accounting for this reserve. The Government Accounting manual covers the management of assets.
	The Government Capital Reserve reflects the current net book value of fixed assets acquired by the LSC. The Government Capital Reserve is credited with the amount of the grant that equates to the asset's acquisition cost. Notes 9 and 10 to the accounts provide further details on the fixed assets of the LSC. The Executive NDPBs Annual Reports and Accounts Guidance for 2004–05 provides further detail on the accounting for this reserve. The Government Accounting manual covers the management of assets.
	I trust the above information will be of assistance to you

Social Mobility

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on changes in social mobility in relation to inter-generational academic achievement between 1978 and 2005.

Jacqui Smith: The Secretary of State's speech to IPPR on 26 July 2005 set out the Government's commitment to help develop a society which can foster greater social mobility. Her speech underlined the important role that education can play in improving life chances for all individuals, and it set out the forward looking context for our programme of reform across the system.
	An assessment of changes in inter-generational academic achievement is constrained by data limitations. However in a paper accompanying the speech, "Has the Social Class Gap Narrowed in Primary Schools", analysis was presented to show how gaps in attainment between pupils from high and low income brackets (proxied by free school meal (FSM) status) have changed. The paper focused on key stage 2 between 1998 and 2004, the period in which the data allows such comparisons to be made.
	The analysis showed that performance has improved on average for both FSM and non-FSM pupils, but there was little significant change in the gap between the two groups. However it was found that schools with the highest proportions of pupils eligible for FSM did narrow the gap compared to schools with low proportions of FSM. For example in key stage 2 English, the gap in attainment at level 4 narrowed by eight percentage points in the period 1998–2004 between schools with high and low proportions of FSM pupils. The full paper is available on the Department's website.
	Further analysis will be carried out over the coming months. In particular, we will look at key stages 1, 3 and 4, to the extent that data for these phases can be tracked over time on a comparable basis.

Special Educational Needs

Edward Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what support and services are available for new parents whose children have been diagnosed at birth as suffering from learning difficulties in (a) West Yorkshire, (b) Wakefield District and (c) Normanton constituency; and whether she plans to increase this assistance.

Maria Eagle: The Government are committed to improving services for all children and their families, including those with learning disabilities. The Every Child Matters programme, alongside the implementation of the National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services and the Government's SEN strategy "Removing Barriers to Achievement", supports and promotes early intervention to help families of very young disabled children. In particular, the Government's Early Support Programme has been funded to improve support to parents of disabled children aged 0–3 and to provide timely interventions at the very earliest stages of impairment being identified. The development of Sure Start Children's Centres will also improve the integrated support provided to families with children under 5. Disabled children and special educational needs are a priority for this programme.
	In the West Yorkshire area there are currently 24 Children's Centres (expected to rise to 76 by September 2006) and 1 Early Support Programme (with one currently being developed in Wakefield). All local authorities have now been asked to begin using the Early Support approaches and materials to review and improve services for families with young disabled children.
	Families of children with learning disabilities are, of course, entitled to access an additional range of local authority and health support. Details about these local services are not collected centrally and to do so would incur disproportionate cost.

State-funded Education

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of gross domestic product was spent on state-funded education in (a) 1979–80, (b) 1987–88, (c) 1997–98 and (d) 2004–05.

Jacqui Smith: The following table shows the percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) spent on education in the UK.
	
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			 1979–80 5.1 
			 1987–88 4.7 
			 1997–98 4.5 
			 2004–05 5.4 
		
	
	Note:
	1. Figures on UK education spend for the years shown were obtained from the Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses.
	2. The GDP figures used are the latest available and were updated at the end of December 2005.
	3. The international definition of education expenditure used to produce the figures for the Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses has changed over time; therefore, the figure for 1979–80 is not directly comparable with the other years. The figures for 1987–88, 1997–98 and 2004–05 have been produced to the same definition and so are comparable.

Teachers

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people have qualified but have not taken up a career in teaching since 1997; and what the cost per student has been of training such people.

Jacqui Smith: Data from the Teachers Pension Scheme indicate that the following proportions of qualifiers are not known to have any teaching service up to March 2004 since qualifying.
	
		
			 Year of qualification Percentage without teaching service Qualifiers recorded on Teachers Pension Scheme 
		
		
			 1997 10 26,223 
			 1998 10 24,841 
			 1999 8 24,197 
			 2000 8 21,814 
			 2001 8 21,812 
			 2002 11 23,038 
			 2003 20 25,175 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures exclude those qualifying through employment based routes.
	The main reason for the higher figures in the most recent years is that some qualified teachers delay the start of their teaching careers. The proportion of qualifiers without teaching service usually falls substantially over the first year or two after qualification, and in the long-term has been around 9–10 per cent. since 1990; the figures for the 2003 qualifiers are expected to fall to a similar level. For example, the proportion of all qualifiers without recorded teaching service by March of the year after they qualified has remained at 20 per cent. for 2001, 2002 and 2003, but for 2002 qualifiers it fell to 11 per cent. after another year and for 2001 qualifiers it fell to 8 per cent. after two.
	The Teachers Pension Scheme has only partial coverage for those teaching outside maintained schools, for example in independent schools or in further or higher education, so the true proportion is expected to be lower.
	The cost of teacher training varies according to different routes to achieving qualified teacher status (QTS) to work in maintained schools in England. The three main types are:
	a. Undergraduate courses leading to a degree plus QTS;
	b. Postgraduate courses leading to QTS; and
	c. Employment-based teacher training routes leading to QTS.
	The funding which each of these routes attracts from the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) is in 2005/06:
	a. Undergraduate courses: £16,000 per trainee (@ £4,000 per year), excluding fee/maintenance support.
	b. Postgraduate courses: £5,200 per trainee, plus at least £1,200 fee/maintenance support, plus £6,000 bursary (in total £12,400 per trainee).
	c. Employment-based teacher training routes: £17,620 per trainee, including a £13,000 grant towards the employment costs of each trainee.

Underachieving/Deprived Pupils

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when she will announce the full conclusions of the Deprivation Funding Review; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: My written statement of 7 December on the School Funding Settlement for 2006–07 and 2007–08 announced that the report of the DfES/HM Treasury review of deprivation—"Child Poverty, Fair Funding for Schools"—was being published on the same day, and is on Teachernet at www.teachernet.gov.uk/deprivationfundingreview/. A copy of the report has also been placed in the House Libraries.

Underachieving/Deprived Pupils

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the allocation of funding to schools in deprived areas of Somerset; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: Under the current Schools Formula Spending Share (SPSS) arrangements in 2005–06, Somerset's SPSS takes account of the incidence of Additional Educational Needs, in the form of the numbers of families found to be in receipt of income support and working families tax credits, and the level of primary and secondary ethnicity in schools in Somerset. The school funding regulations stipulate that authorities must have a factor within their local funding formulae which recognises the incidence of deprivation in distributing resources to local schools.
	From April 2006, the Department is introducing a new ring fenced Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) in distributing resources directly to authorities based on authorities spending levels in 2005–06. Somerset will receive increases of 6.7 per cent. and 6.5 per cent. per pupil in the next two financial years. It will be for the local authority to decide how to distribute their resources to schools via the local funding formula.

Benefit Payments

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of (a) all pensioners and (b) eligible pensioners received the pension credit in Wales in each year since the system began; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The available information is in the following tables:
	
		ONS mid year pensioner population estimates for Wales 2003, 2004
		
			  2004 2003 
		
		
			 Total pensioner population 684,000 674,600 
			 Proportion who are pension credit  household recipients (percentage) 21.3 18.1 
			 Proportion who are pension credit  individual beneficiaries (percentage) 26.2 21.9 
		
	
	
		Pension credit recipients in Wales as at May 2004, 2005 and November 2003
		
			  Household recipients Individual beneficiaries 
		
		
			 May 2005 158,300 195,100 
			 May 2004 145,900 179,100 
			 November 2003 121,900 147,600 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	2. Pension credit (PC) replaced minimum income guarantee (MIG) on 6 October 2003. Existing MIG recipients were automatically converted onto pension credit on that date (assuming they still met the eligibility criteria).
	3. The latest available population figures from ONS are mid year 2004.
	4. Pension credit data are from the new WPLS and are taken as at 30 November 2003 and 31 May 2004, 2005.
	5. Couples may include partners who are aged less than 60.
	6. The pensioner population is defined as all males and females aged 60+.
	7. Household recipients are those people who claim PC either on behalf of themselves only or on behalf of a household. This number is equal to the number of households in receipt of PC. The number of beneficiaries is the claimants plus their partners.
	Source:
	Pension Credit Data: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS) 100 per cent. data.
	Mid year population estimates: ONS, Population Estimates Unit.
	Latest estimates of the number of pensioners entitled to but not receiving the main income-related benefits relate to financial year 2002–03 and predate the introduction of pension credit. Estimates for minimum income guarantee—the predecessor to pension credit—can be found in the DWP report entitled "Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up in 2002–2003". Copies of the publication are available in the Library.
	Estimates of pension credit will be published in early 2006; this publication will include the first six months of pension credit. Estimates for the full year 2004–05 are expected to be published in May 2006. Information is not available below a national level.

Benefit Payments

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average length of time was from receipt of an (a) incapacity benefits, (b) jobseeker's allowance, (c) income support, (d) disability living allowance and (e) pension credit claim to payment of the benefit to the claimant in Wales in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The available information is in the following tables.
	
		Average number of days from benefit claim to payment of benefit in Wales Days
		
			  2002 2003 2004 2005 
		
		
			 Incapacity benefit (IB) clearance rate 13.6 12.8 15.2 13.2 
			 IB Clearance target 22 19 
			  
			 Jobseekers allowance (JSA) clearance rate 9.2 9.5 10.0 10.5 
			 JSA Clearance target 12 
			  
			 Income support (IS) clearance rate 9.1 9.1 9.9 9.5 
			 IS clearance target 12 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are only available from April 2002 when Jobcentre Plus came into being, replacing the former Employment Service and parts of the Benefits Agency.
	2. Clearance times are measured up to the date of decision and referral for payment. The payment will be issued on the appropriate pay-day.
	
		Disability living allowance (normal rules) new claims clearance times
		
			  Target YTD 
		
		
			 1999/2000 Percentage cleared (85 per cent. in 53 days) 89.5 
			 2000/01 Percentage cleared (95 per cent. in 73 days) 95.9 
			 2001/02 Percentage cleared (95 per cent. in 73 days) 95.9 
			 2002/03 Average clearance time (43 days ) 34.1 
			 2003/04 Average clearance time (42 days ) 39.2 
			 2004/05 Average clearance time (39 days ) 35.4 
			 As at November 2005 Average clearance time (39 days ) 34.4 
		
	
	
		Disability living allowance (special rules) new claims clearance times
		
			  Target YTD 
		
		
			 1999/2000 Percentage cleared (80 per cent. in 10 days) 88.9 
			 2000/01 Percentage cleared (95 per cent. in 15 days) 92.1 
			 2001/02 Percentage cleared (95 per cent. in 15 days) 91.3 
			 2002/03 Average Clearance time ( 8 days ) 5.8 
			 2003/04 Average Clearance time ( 8 days ) 6.7 
			 2004/05 Average Clearance time ( 8 days ) 6.4 
			 As at November 2005 Average Clearance time ( 8 days ) 5.5 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Each year runs from April to the following March, except for the current year where the YTD figure is up to and including 30 November 2005.
	2. Up to 2001–02 the target was known as 'X percentage into Y days' but since 2002–03 it has been expressed as an Actual Average Clearance Time.
	3. The target and YTD figure only relates to clearance times and not to payment of benefit. Although an assumption is made that payment will be authorised at the same time as the case is cleared, in a favourable award, there will always be exceptions to this.
	Pension credit was introduced on 6 October 2003 and replaced minimum income guarantee (income support for people aged 60 or over). The vast majority of people who were previously in receipt of the minimum income guarantee transferred to pension credit in October 2003.
	Clearance time data for pension credit is not available in the format requested. When The Pension Service was introduced the agency was organised into Government Office Regions. As The Pension Service caseload is managed by Pension Centre, it is not possible to trace clearance times to claims originating in Wales.

Benefit Payments

Gavin Strang: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department uses an automatic indicator that someone in receipt of benefit has (a) died and (b) moved house.

James Plaskitt: The Department for Work and Pensions uses automatic indicators to 'broadcast' to all its benefit systems changes of circumstances where someone in receipt of benefit has died or has moved house.
	When a person dies, the Department is notified of the death by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) for England and Wales, the General Registrar's Office for Scotland or the General Registrar's Office for Northern Ireland. This data is transmitted to a central point in DWP. It is recorded on the Departmental Central Index (DCI) and forwarded automatically to all benefit systems including the jobseeker's allowance payment system and the pension strategy computer system. Once the notification is received, payment of benefit will automatically be suspended on systems such as the pension strategy computer system and the disability living allowance/attendance allowance computer system. On other systems, such as the income support computer system and the jobseeker's allowance payment system staff will be notified of the need to take action on the cases affected.
	When the Department is notified that someone has moved house, the data is automatically sent to the relevant benefit systems. This alerts staff to take the necessary action to update addresses and, where appropriate, notify the relevant local authority for housing benefit and council tax benefit purposes. A process is also in place where local authorities can notify DWP when a person in receipt of benefit has moved house and when this is received at a central point, automatic indicators are broadcast to other benefit systems.

Carers

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to enhance the rights of carers.

Anne McGuire: This Government are the first ever to recognise the contribution and concerns of all carers formally and is supporting carers on a number of fronts through the work of several Departments.
	The principle of fair outcomes for women and carers is central to the National Pensions Debate that the Government launched earlier this year.
	The Department for Work and Pensions held a specific event focusing on women and pensions on 7 November, following the publication of the Government's report "Women and pensions: The evidence". The report provides a compendium of evidence that highlights the key influences on the level of women's retirement income, including consideration of the impact of parenthood and family caring responsibilities on pension entitlement.

Child Care

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what role his Department has in the regulation of child care; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: The regulation of child care in England is the responsibility of Ofsted, under the policy direction of the Department for Education and Skills. The Department for Work and Pensions has no role in the regulation.
	Regulation of child care in Scotland and Wales is the responsibility of the Scottish Executive and Welsh Assembly respectively.

Civil Service Relocation (Scotland)

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many departmental civil service jobs have been relocated to Scotland in each year since 2001.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 28 November 2005
	A total of 50 posts have been relocated to Scotland from London and the South East as part of the Lyons Review of Public Sector Relocation. These relocations have taken place since June 2003. Information prior to this date is not available.

Child Support Agency

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of maintenance applications to the Child Support Agency have been determined within (a) 22 weeks and (b) 12 months in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive, Mr. Stephen Geraghty. He will write to the hon. Member with the requested information.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 16 January 2006
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what percentage of maintenance applications to the CSA have been determined within (a) 22 weeks and (b) 12 months in each of the last 5 years for which figures are available?
	The information requested can be found in the attached tables. Recent improvements in management information for new-scheme cases allows the Agency to provide more meaningful information on the time taken to clear new scheme applications, which was published for the first time in the Departments Child Support Agency Quarterly Statistical Supplement on the DWP website on 27 October 2005.
	It should be noted that, a new-scheme application is defined as determined (or cleared) if the case is closed, a maintenance calculation has been carried out and a payment arrangement is in place, the Parent with Care is identified as claiming Good Cause or subject to a Reduced Benefit Decision, or the application is identified as being a change of circumstances on an existing case.
	For old-scheme cases on the old computer system (CSCS), the Agency is only able to measure clearances up to the point of closure or maintenance assessment.
	As the definition of a clearance is slightly different for old and new-scheme cases, the numbers presented below are therefore broadly, but not directly, comparable.
	I recognise that performance in this area is unsatisfactory, and that there is a need for real improvement in the near future. To this end, I am currently presenting proposals to Ministers aimed at making the Agency more effective in its role of ensuring that non resident parents take financial responsibility for their children.
	
		Old scheme
		
			 Application received Percentage of maintenance applications cleared within: 
			 March to February: 22 weeks 12 months 
		
		
			 2000–01 34 56 
			 2001–02 42 65 
			 2002–03 52 70 
		
	
	
		New scheme
		
			 Application received Percentage of maintenance applications cleared within: 
			 March to February: 22 weeks 12 months 
		
		
			 2003–04 46 64 
			 2004–05 46 — 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest whole per cent.
	2. Figures for the new scheme exclude cases which have been progressed and cleared clerically and 161,000 potential applications that had come via the Jobcentre Plus interface (80,000 of which had been cleared and 81,000 which were still outstanding as of September 2005) and for which no management information is currently available.
	3. It is not currently possible to provide figures in relation to old scheme cases received prior to the introduction of the new scheme, but migrated to the new IT system (CS2) prior to the application being cleared.
	4. Comparable data is not available for the percentage of applications received between March 2004 and February 2005 that were cleared in 12 months as a full 12 months has not yet elapsed since the end of this period.

Departmental Research

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research projects commissioned by his Department are being undertaken; and what the publication arrangements are in each case.

Anne McGuire: Research projects currently being undertaken that have been commissioned by the Department for Work and Pensions are outlined in the following list.
	Project name:
	The Pension Service Customer Survey 2005
	Micro-employers attitudes to employee pension provision
	Evaluation of automatic state pension forecasts
	Design of the evaluation of the Pension Education Fund
	Evaluation of The Pension Service Partnership Fund
	Overcoming barriers to Pension Credit Take-Up
	Overcoming barriers to Pension Credit Take-Up: Qualitative research with Pension Credit Eligible non-recipients
	Attitudes to Pensions Survey
	Pensions and Savings research: Focus Groups
	The International Pensions Centre Customer Survey
	Pensions and Savings research: Omnibus questions
	Survey of Annuity pricing
	Evaluation of Pension Increase Pledge
	The effects of means-testing pensions on savings and retirement
	Understanding older people's experiences of poverty and material deprivation—quantitative element
	Understanding older people's experiences of poverty and material deprivation—qualitative element
	The importance of incentives in influencing private retirement savings: known knowns and unknowns
	Savings incentives—Understanding the interactions of long term savings and debt
	Employers Pension Provision Survey 2005
	Which pensioners don't spend their income and why?
	Self-employed: Work and Saving for retirement
	Retirement Planner: Proof of concept work
	Qualitative evaluation of the Intensive Activity period for 50+
	Transitions to and from activity for the over 50s
	Work and Retirement Literature Review
	Work and Retirement Literature Review
	Age Legislation: Qualitative research with employers (and secondary dataset analysis subject to funding )
	Intensive Activity Period for 50+—Qualitative
	Macroeconomic Modelling of savings scenarios
	Initial Evaluation of the Phase 1 Age Partnership Group "Be Ready" National Guidance Campaign products
	Age and Training Phase 2
	Encouraging Cultural Change: Communication about extending working life
	Poverty and large families
	Intergenerational Child Poverty
	Understanding debt
	Poverty—Bucking The Trend
	Administrative Datasets for Measuring Impacts on Disadvantage
	Families, Health and Work
	Examining the position of the public sector in relation to the provisions of the 1995 Disability Discrimination Act (coming into force October 2004) and the new Disability Discrimination Bill
	Disability Communications
	Economic and Social Costs and Benefits to employers for recruiting, retaining and employing disabled people and/or people with health conditions or injury
	Information needs for disabled people
	Job Retention and Rehabilitation Evaluation
	Fair Cities Evaluation
	Jobcentre Plus National Customer Satisfaction Survey 2005 (Ethnic Minority Booster)
	Overarching thematic analysis of Jobcentre Plus employment policies for ex-offenders
	Jobcentre Plus Local Office Traffic Survey
	Jobseekers Mandatory Activity Pilots Evaluation
	Job Outcome Target quantitative evaluation strand
	Evaluation of Jobcentre Plus Job Outcome Target Pilots: Stage Three
	Job Outcome Target Pilots' Evaluation: Summary Report
	Evaluation of the New Deal Plus Project
	Clusters of workless couples and their employment transitions: Phase 1
	Review of Action Teams for Jobs
	Work Based Learning for Adults—Longer term outcomes of Work Based Learning for Adults customers
	A methodological study of barriers to work
	Annual Employer Research
	Evaluation of Pathways to Work Expansion (to a further 14 Districts)
	Evaluation of Multiple Provider Employment Zones
	Employment Zones Extensions Qualitative ( Single Provider)
	Evaluation of Working Neighbourhoods Pilot
	Maximising the Role of Outreach
	Basic Skills Mandatory Training Pilots
	Evaluation of Skills Coaching
	Systematic Review of the Impact of Adult Learning
	Base lining Survey for Financial Support for Adult Learners
	Sanctions Quantitative
	Repeat Spells
	Evaluation Extensions to Personal Adviser meetings
	Evaluation of Specialist Employment Advisers
	Secondary Analysis of New Deal for Lone Parents /Work Focused interviews Datasets
	Perceptions and Experiences in Jobcentre Plus
	Part-time Work seminar
	Customer Case Management
	Survey of Employers Practices
	Ethnic Minority Populations and the Labour Market: Analysis of the 2001 Census
	Barriers to Employment: Pakistani and Bangladeshi
	Ethnic Parity in Jobcentre Plus Programmes and Mainstream Services
	Lone Parent and Partner Pilots: In Work Credit, Work Search Premium and Quarterly Work Focused Interviews Qualitative Evaluation
	Lone Parent In Work Credit, Work Search Premium, Extended Schools Child Care , Childcare Tasters and Quarterly Work Focused Interviews Impact Evaluation
	Work focused Interviews and New Deal for Partners Evaluation (Quantitative)
	Work focused Interviews and New Deal for Partners Evaluation (Qualitative)
	Family and Children's Survey
	Review of Family and Children's Survey
	Survey of New Deal for Disabled People Registrants, cohort three: additional analysis of dataset
	Evaluation of New Deal for Disabled People Extensions
	The impact of Incapacity Benefit Pilots (Condition Management Programme) on participants health related quality of life
	Routes onto Incapacity Benefits—quantitative work
	Statutory Sick Pay Feasibility Project
	Literature review of the scientific evidence regarding chronic obstructive pulmonary disease on behalf of the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council
	WORKSTEP Evaluation
	WORKSTEP Modernisation Funds Evaluation
	British Social Attitudes Survey (Welfare Module)
	Contribution to the Millennium birth Cohort
	Contribution to the General household survey
	Attitudes to making adjustments to common parts in rented and leased residential accommodation
	Claimants and advisers awareness of and attitudes to Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit as an In-Work Benefit
	Housing Benefit Control for Gypsy Site Rents
	Claimants motivations for reporting changes of circumstances
	Local Housing Authority Pathfinders
	An Investigation of Child Support Agency Maintenance Direct payments—Qualitative research
	An Investigation of Child Support Agency Maintenance Direct Payments—Quantitative research
	European Social Fund Objective 3 Beneficiary Survey
	Evaluation of the impact of co-financing on European Social Fund Objectives
	Survey of European Social Fund Objectives
	Update to the mid-term Evaluation of the European Social Fund Community Support Framework
	Developing Policy: Positive Action Policies
	Public Awareness Research
	Conversion of PDF research files using ORC software and future conversion of hard copy research using ORC software
	Evaluation Databases
	What Works? Literature review and meta-analysis
	Linking English Longitudinal Study of Ageing data to administrative data: documenting the process and access arrangements
	Evaluation of CMS version3
	Externally commissioned research findings are released publicly, the vast majority appearing in the Department's Research Report Series which is available both in hard copy and for download from the website (http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/)

Departmental Staff

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much the Department spent on activities relating to the recruitment of head count to the Department in each year from 1997; what the latest estimates are for (a) 2005–06, (b) 2006–07 and (c) 2007–08; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 28 November 2005
	The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Pension Credit

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the change in take-up of pension credit has been in each quarter since it was introduced.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is not available. Latest estimates of pensioners' take-up of the main income-related benefits relate to financial year 2002–03 and predates the introduction of pension credit. Estimates for minimum income guarantee, the predecessor to pension credit, can be found in the DWP report entitled "Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up in 2002/2003". Copies of the publication are available in the Library.
	Estimates of pension credit will be published in early 2006; this publication will include the first six months of pension credit. Estimates for the full year 2004–05 are expected to be published in May 2006. This information is only available on an annual basis.

Pension Credit

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in Hendon receive pension credit (a) savings element and (b) guarantee element; what the average award was in each case in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The available information is in the table.
	
		Pension credit recipients in the Hendon constituency as at 30 September 2005 with pension credit average amounts for recipients in the Hendon constituency as at 16 September 2005
		
			  Household recipients 
			   Recipients Average amounts (£ per week) 
		
		
			 All 4,300 64.55 
			 Guarantee credit (GC) only 2,300 93.16 
			 Savings credit (SC) only 600 10.58 
			 GC and SC 1,500 40.63 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Caseloads are rounded to the nearest hundred, average amounts are given to the nearest penny.
	2. Pension credit (PC) replaced minimum income guarantee (MIG) on 6 October 2003. Existing MIG recipients were automatically converted onto pension credit on that date (assuming they still met the eligibility criteria).
	3. PC data from the Generalised Matching Service (CMS) 100 per cent. scan taken on 16 September 2005. The caseloads have been rated up to give month-end estimates, but the average amounts have been supplied in an un-adjusted form, therefore they are representative of 16 September 2005.
	4. These figures are early estimates. Operational processing times mean that a number of claim commencements and terminations are not reflected in the figures. The final figures incorporated within the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS) will take account of such cases.
	Source:
	Information Directorate 100 per cent. data

Civil Servants

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many and what proportion of each Civil Service grade in her Department is located in each (a) region and (b) nation of the UK; what the average salary is for each grade; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: My hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Secretary at the Cabinet Office (Jim Murphy) will write to the hon. Member with details for the civil service of the percentage of staff in post by region and grade responsibility and the median salary of staff in post by region and grade responsibility as at 1 April 2004. Copies of his letter will be placed in the Library.

Court House (Colchester)

Bob Russell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will make a statement on proposals to build a new court house at Colchester.

Harriet Harman: The Essex magistrates court scheme, of which Colchester is part, continues to be within the programme of new court projects. However, my Department is still finalising investment plans, as part of the development of a Business and Estates Strategy for Her Majesty's Court Service. A further announcement will be made once spending plans have been agreed with Treasury. As part of our continuing commitment to the Essex magistrates court scheme, we are currently in the process of purchasing a site for the new courthouse in Colchester. The purchase is expected to be completed by the end of March 2005.

Departmental Expenditure

Michael Weir: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much was spent on external consultants and advisers by (a) her Department, (b) each (i) non-departmental public body and (ii) executive agency for which her Department is responsible and (c) each independent statutory body, organisation and body financially sponsored by her Department in each year since May 1997.

Harriet Harman: Since its inception in June 2003, my Department has used consultants to support its wide-ranging and fast-paced programme of modernisation and change, to increase efficiency, provide better customer service, and value for money for the taxpayer.
	Information on consultancy expenditure is not held centrally, and is collected once a year for the previous financial year from the Department, its Executive agencies and NDPB's.
	The exercise relating to expenditure in 2004–05 is under way, and on completion, details will be sent to the hon. Member.
	Expenditure with consultants in year 2003–04 was as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 (a) DCA and Court Service 9,016,488 
			 (b) (i) Legal Services Commission 319,800 
			 Information Commissioner 417,429 
			 (ii) Public Guardianship Office 766,200 
			 Court Service (56)— 
		
	
	(56) Included in DCA figure.
	(c) Information on expenditure by independent statutory bodies is not held centrally and could be obtained only now at disproportionate cost

Departmental Expenditure

John Spellar: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much her Department spent on bottled water in 2004–05.

Harriet Harman: My Department has a contract for the provision of chilled water and water coolers. The cost of this contract in 2004–05 was £16,734.00 but this is solely for mains fed water machines. Bottled water is occasionally supplied by our caterers for meetings; it is not possible to separate the cost of this from overall refreshment costs.
	This answer relates solely to the Department for Constitutional Affairs, HQ Estate and not to Her Majesty's Court Service, related agencies or NDPB's as to gather this information would incur a disproportionate cost.

Electoral Administration

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what proportion of returning officers submitted their form Ks after the general election on time and with all the information supplied; which returning officers failed to submit a form K; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: Election Commission collate and publish data held on the form Ks, as part of their remit to report on UK parliamentary elections.
	In their report "Election 2005: turnout", the Commission noted that some or all the data on postal voting take-up was missing for 35 constituencies in England and one constituency in Wales.

Fine Defaulting

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether Operation Payback Two was used in the Southend West constituency.

Harriet Harman: All 42 magistrates court areas took part in Operation Payback Two. Essex ran Operation Payback Two from 29 November through to 3 December, with visits to Southend West taking place on 1 December.
	Essex collected £65,790 during the initiative.

Judicial Pension Schemes

David Laws: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the written statement of 15 December 2005, Official Report, column 162WS, on judicial pensions, what the evidential basis is for the deregistering of judicial pension schemes having no net cost; and if she will give an estimate for the (a) cost and (b) saving of each component of the reforms.

Harriet Harman: Changes in payments to, and contributions payable by, judges will be balanced by tax revenue; and higher employers national insurance contributions will be payments within Government.

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when her Department last undertook an evidence review into the long-term consequences of abortion on women, with particular reference to (a) depression, (b) drug misuse, (c) anxiety, (d) attempted suicide and (e) alcoholism, that drew on (i) UK and (ii) international research; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  if she will commission an independent study of the long-term effects of abortion on the health of women, with particular reference to (a) depression, (b) drug misuse, (c) anxiety, (d) attempted suicide and (e) alcoholism; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The safety and psychological effects of abortion were considered by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) in its updated evidence-based guideline, "The Care of Women Requesting Induced Abortion" (2004). In updating the guidance, the RCOG took account of the most recent national and international evidence. This is taken into account in the recommendations concerning information for women and abortion aftercare.
	The Department has no current plans to commission an independent study of the long-term effects of abortion on the health of women, but keeps all new and emerging evidence under review.

Alcohol Misuse

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to provide (a) screening, (b) education and (c) early intervention for children and young people at risk of alcohol misuse.

Caroline Flint: The Department for Education and Skills have lead responsibility for ensuring that school pupils are educated about the effects of drinking. Alcohol education must be addressed at key stages two, three and four within the science curriculum.
	Alcohol education is a statutory part of the national curriculum, which requires all children to learn about the risks of alcohol. This sits within a broader programme of drug education since many of the attitudes and skills to enable young people to make informed choices will be the same.
	The guidance requires schools to emphasise alcohol education within their drug education programmes. It makes clear that the message should be about promoting sensible drinking and reducing the harm related to alcohol misuse. The guidance encourages schools to look at the influence of the media on attitudes towards alcohol.
	The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) has developed drug, alcohol and tobacco education schemes of work as part of the education training package for teachers. We are now working with QCA on end of key stage assessment materials that would help teachers assess progress in personal social and health education including alcohol education.
	Blueprint is the largest research programme ever run in this country to evaluate the effectiveness of a multi-component approach to school-based drug education. The programme covered illegal drugs, legal drugs such as alcohol and tobacco, and medicines.
	The programme was delivered in spring term 2004 and 2005 to 4,500 young people in 23 schools. Full results of the research will be available in 2008 although the intention is to use the experience of the programme to inform practice in the interim.
	The Department plans to commission a programme of trailblazer pilots for alcohol screening and brief interventions mainly aimed at adults but including young adults. Although the contract has still to be finalised, we have selected a consortium led by St. George's Medical School (University of London) and Newcastle University to operate these pilots and extract the learning from them to apply to a larger roll-out programme planned for the future.
	These trailblazer pilots will operate in three settings; primary care, accident and emergency (A&E) and criminal justice settings. This gives the best spread of settings to offer screening and brief interventions across the whole adult population. Young adults, particularly young men, are less likely to attend their general practice than their older counterparts but their drinking behaviour is more likely to bring a number of them into contact with A&E and the criminal justice system.

Alzheimer's Disease

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the implications for neuroleptic prescribing of a withdrawal of Alzheimer's disease drugs;
	(2)  whether concerns raised by the Department about National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence draft guidance on drug treatments for Alzheimer's disease have been addressed.

Jane Kennedy: I have not made such an assessment. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is currently reviewing its guidance on drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer's Disease. The institute plans to publish its revised guidance on 23 January 2006. Information about NICE'S current work programme is available on the NICE'S website at www.nice.org.uk.

Emergency Calls

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many emergency calls were answered within the Tees, East and North Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what proportion of emergency calls resulted in an ambulance arriving at the scene of the reported incident within the Government's target response times for Tees, East and North Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Emergency calls and response times, Tees, East and North Yorkshire, 2000–01 to 2004–05 Thousand
		
			  2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Incidents (calls resulting in response arriving at the scene) 131.6 126.6 136.7 143.2 153.4 
			   
			 Category A incidents  
			 Percentage response within 8 minutes 52.8 71.9 73.4 73.7 77.1 
			 Percentage response within 19 minutes 96.4 97.8 97.6 97.9 98.5 
			   
			 Category B/C incidents  
			 Percentage response within 8 minutes 49.3 55.8 57.1 58.1 (57)57.5 
			 Percentage response within 19 minutes 96.1 96.5 95.4 95.7 (57)94.8 
			   
			 Category B incidents  
			 Percentage response within 8 minutes n/a n/a n/a n/a (58)55.6 
			 Percentage response within 19 minutes n/a n/a n/a n/a (58)94.8 
		
	
	(57) Data for April 2004 to September 2004.
	(58) Data for October 2004 to March 2005; prior to this, category B data not available separately.
	Source:
	HSCIC return KA34

Equity Audits

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what equity audits have been undertaken by her Department to assess the health of vulnerable groups.

Caroline Flint: The Department have not undertaken any health equity audits. Health equity audit is a key tool to be used by the national health service to embed evidence of local inequalities into mainstream activity such as planning, commissioning and service delivery. Health equity audit is a mandatory part of primary care trust planning and the topic for each health equity audit is down to local determination by the NHS trust and their partners. The Choosing Health White Paper "Delivering Choosing Health (2005)" set out the intention to extend health and wellbeing equity audits to other NHS trusts and local authorities.

Maternity Centres

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment her Department has made of the level of use of midwife-led maternity centres;
	(2)  how many midwife-led maternity centres have been in operation in each of the last 10 years;
	(3)  how many midwife-led maternity centres have shut in each of the last 10 years;
	(4)  what assessment her Department has made of the impact on mothers of travelling further while in labour as a result of the closure of local maternity services;
	(5)  what proportion of births took place in midwife-led maternity centres in the last year for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: It is for primary care trusts and national health service trusts to determine the level of midwife-led maternity care required locally. A survey of patients conducted on behalf of the Department 1 asking for a preference as to where the next delivery would take place found 20.4 per cent. wanted to give birth in a midwife-led unit.
	Under the maternity standard of the national service framework for children, young people and maternity services, published in September 2004, NHS maternity care providers and primary care trusts (PCTs) are required to ensure that the range of antenatal, birth and post-birth care services available locally constitutes real choice for women.
	Information on the number of midwife-led maternity centres that have been in operation or shut in each of the last 10 years is not collected centrally.
	It is for local PCTs and NHS trusts to assess the impact reconfiguring maternity services will have on mothers to be.
	Information on the proportion of births that took place in midwife-led maternity centres is not collected centrally.
	1 "Different models of maternity care: an evaluation of the roles of primary health care workers", Hewison J, Renfrew M J, Gregson B, Young G, Braunholtz D, Dowswell T, Hirst J, Ross-McGill H. 2003

New-born Children (Low Birth Weight)

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of children were born with a low birth weight in each year from 1975–76; and if she will make a statement.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 16 January 2006
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what percentage of children were born with a low birthweight in each year from 1975–1976 to 2005–2006. (41309)
	The attached table shows the information requested. The latest available figures are for 2004. Birthweight information for liveborn babies is currently provided by primary care organisations to Registrars of births, deaths and marriages in their area for recording on the draft birth entry. This is then made available to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) for statistical purposes. Prior to 1982 this birthweight information was not made available to Registrars for a large proportion of liveborn babies. For this reason figures for the period 1975 to 1981 are taken from the DHSS annual summaries of LHS 27/1 low birthweight returns. On the returns for these years, low birthweight was defined as 2,500 grams and under.
	Figures from 1982 are based on the information available to ONS and is based on the World Health Organisation's definition of low birthweight (under 2,500 grams).
	
		Percentage of live born babies with low birth weight(59)(60), England and Wales 1975–2004
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			 1975(59) 6.4 
			 1976 6.4 
			 1977 6.5 
			 1978 6.5 
			 1979 6.7 
			 1980 6.8 
			 1981 6.8 
			 1982(60) 6.7 
			 1983 6.7 
			 1984 6.7 
			 1985 6.8 
			 1986 6.9 
			 1987 6.8 
			 1988 6.6 
			 1989 6.7 
			 1990 6.8 
			 1991 6.9 
			 1992 6.8 
			 1993 6.9 
			 1994 7.0 
			 1995 7.3 
			 1996 7.3 
			 1997 7.4 
			 1998 7.5 
			 1999 7.6 
			 2000 7.6 
			 2001 7.6 
			 2002 7.7 
			 2003 7.7 
			 2004 7.6 
		
	
	(59) For the years 1975–81: low birth weight was defined as 2,500g and under.
	(60) For the years 1982–2004: low birth weight was defined as less than 2,500g.
	Sources:
	Birth Counts volume 2, The Stationery Office. Published 2000. ISBN 0 11 620917 8
	Table A3.4.1 1975–1981, Table A3.4.2 1982–1992
	ONS Series FM1 Birth statistics 1993–2004

Non-emergency Operations

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 12 September 2005, Official Report, column 2737W, on non-emergency operations, 
	(1)  if she will list other providers in England, including independent hospitals and treatment centres, which treat NHS patients for (a) knee replacement surgery, (b) cataract surgery, (c) hernia repair and (d) hip replacement surgery;
	(2)  when she will answer the question tabled by the hon. Member for Northavon on 12 October 2005, on non-emergency operations, reference 18887.

Liam Byrne: Information on the services provided in England by providers contracted to set up independent sector treatment centres under the central procurements is shown in the table.
	Information on other independent sector providers commissioned locally is not collected centrally.
	
		
			 Programme name Strategic health authority Specialties Provider Operational status 
		
		
			 East Cornwall South West Peninsula General Surgery, Urology, Trauma and orthopaedics, ENT, Oral surgery, General medicine, Gastroenterology, Cardiology, Dermatology, Thoracic medicine, Rheumatology, Paediatrics, Gynaecology, Dietics, Physio assessment, Ophthalmology, Plastic Surgery Capio Interim 
			  
			 East Lincs Trent Ophthalmology, urology, hernias, varicose veins, colonoscopies, and minor skin Capio Full service 
			  
			 West Lincs Trent Ophthalmology, gastroscopies, colonoscopies, orthopaedic, urology and minor skin Capio Full service 
			  
			 North Oxford (Horton) Thames Valley Orthopaedics Capio Full service 
			  
			 NEYNL North and East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire General Surgery, Trauma and orthopaedics Capio Interim 
			  
			 Southampton Hampshire and Isle of Wight Orthopaedics Capio Full service 
			  
			 Northumberland Northumberland, Tyne and Wear Upper scopes, hernias, varicose veins, minor skin Capio Full service 
			  
			 TV3500 Thames Valley General Surgery, Urology Trauma and orthopaedics, Dermatology, Gynaecology Capio Interim 
			  
			 GC4 West Surrey (tba) Surrey and Sussex Orthopaedics Capio Under negotiation 
			  
			 Kidderminster West Midlands South Orthopaedics InterHealth Full service 
			  
			 Cheshire and Merseyside Cheshire and Merseyside Orthopaedics InterHealth Not operational 
			  
			 Nottingham Trent Orthopaedic, Gynaecology, General surgical, Dermatology, Endoscopies, Oral Surgery, Vascular Surgery, Chronic Pain Nations Not operational 
			  
			 Maidstone Kent and Medway Chemotherapy, minor surgery and endoscopes PHG Not operational 
			  
			 Outer North East London (BHRT) North East London Ophthalmology, Orthopaedics, ENT, Oral, General Surgery, Urology PHG Not operational 
			  
			 Brighton Surrey and Sussex Orthopaedics Mercury Health Interim 
			  
			 Medway Kent and Medway General Surgery, Gastroenterology, ENT, Orthopaedics, Urology, Diagnostics—endoscopy only Mercury Health Full service 
			  
			 Portsmouth Hampshire and Isle of Wight Walk in centre/minor injuries unit, day surgery, diagnostics, ophthalmology Mercury Health Not operational 
			  
			 Lister Surgical centre Beds and Herts Paediatrics, Paediatric ENT, endoscope, urology, ophthalmology, gynaecology and other specialities — Under negotiation 
			  
			 Hemel Hampstead Surgical centre Beds and Herts Paediatrics, Paediatric ENT, endoscope, urology, ophthalmology, gynaecology and other specialities — Under negotiation 
			  
			 Bradford West Yorkshire General Surgery, Gastroenterology, ENT, Gynae, Ophthalmics, Orthopaedics, Plastics, Urology, Oral Surgery, Ultrasound scans—general, Ultrasound scans—Doppler, CT scans, MRI scans, Plain films and x-rays, Fluoroscopy Nations Full service 
			  
			 Burton Shropshire and Staffordshire General Surgery, ENT, Gynaecology, Ophthalmology, Orthopaedics, Plastics, Urology, Oral Surgery, Rheumatology, Pain procedures, Ophthalmology Nations Not operational 
			  
			 Trent and South Yorkshire Trent Orthopaedics PHG Full service 
			  
			 Daventry Leicestershire, Northampton and Rutland Ophthalmology, Upper GI endoscopies, Sigmoidscopy, Orthopaedics, Dermatology, Urology Birkdale Clinic Full service 
			  
			 Shepton Mallet Dorset and Somerset Orthopaedics, ophthalmology, general surgery and endoscopy UK Specialist Hospitals Full service 
			  
			 Greater Manchester Greater Manchester Orthopaedic, general surgery and ENT NetCare Full service 
			 Plymouth South West Peninsula Orthopaedics PHG Full service 
			  
			 Ophthalmic Chain Cheshire and Merseyside; Cumbria and Lancashire; Dorset and Somerset; Hampshire and Isle of Wight; Kent and Medway; Northumberland, Tyne and Wear; South West Peninsula; Surrey and Sussex; Thames Valley Ophthalmology Netcare Full service 
			  
			 GSUP1 n/a Orthopaedic, ophthalmic, general surgery, ENT, plastic surgery Capio/Nuffield Completed 
			  
			 GSUP2 n/a Orthopaedic, general surgery BMI/BUPA/Nuffield Full service

Obesity

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many patients were referred to weight management clinics in each of the last five years for which figures are available;
	(2)  what the average waiting time for obese patients to receive treatment at a weight management clinic was in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is not collected centrally, as data is only collected at trust level and not specialist clinic level.

Podiatry Provision (Gray Report)

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will place in the Library a copy of the report published by the taskforce chaired by Dr. Muir Gray on podiatry provision.

Liam Byrne: The report called "Feet First", published by the NHS executive in 1994, is available in the Library.

Primary Care Staff

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received concerning the impact of the proposals within "Commissioning a Patient Led NHS" on the morale of primary care staff, with particular reference to representations on the prospect of staff leaving or retiring early; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The Department, NHS Employers and the national health service trade unions have produced a joint framework setting out how the human resources (HR) changes, arising form "Commissioning a Patient Led NHS", should be managed. The framework identifies the processes that organisations are expected to follow to ensure the changes are managed fairly, with national support underpinning local decision making.
	Following publication of the framework on 1 December, a number of questions have been received from people seeking more detailed guidance on the implications of the anticipated organisational changes. NHS Employers is providing responses to those questions through its website. In addition, NHS Employers is playing a key role in supporting NHS organisations and staff during these changes, including issuing best practice guidelines, providing employment opportunities for NHS staff through the on-line clearing house "NHS Jobs", and advising on redeployment support. Local support will be provided by HR cluster leads, who will provide advice and guidance, drawing upon best practice.

Sexual Health

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of diagnosed sexually transmitted diseases there were in each primary care trust in London in (a) 2003–04 and (b) 2004–05.

Jane Kennedy: The number and rates of diagnoses of sexually transmitted diseases made at genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics in each of the London strategic health authorities (SHAs) are shown on the Health Protection Agency website at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hiv_and_sti/epidemiology/national2000_2004_Final.pdf.
	The dataset used to compile these data is based on diagnoses made in GUM clinics. Testing undertaken in other clinical settings, such as general practice, is not recorded in the dataset.
	The release of small area statistics is being reviewed and sexually transmitted infections data is currently only published at SHA level. The data is shown in calendar years. Data is not available for 2005.

Smoking

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research she has commissioned into where smokers under the age of 16 years obtain their tobacco.

Caroline Flint: Data on smoking among young people is available from a series of surveys of secondary school children. The main purpose of the surveys are to monitor smoking, drinking and drug use among secondary school pupils in years seven to 11, where the majority are aged 11 to 15.
	We have provided an example of data available from the "Smoking, drinking and drug use among young people in England 2004" report, chapter 5 "Where children get cigarettes" which is shown in the table. This survey and chapter is available on the Department's website at: www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/12/34/32/04123432.pdf.
	
		Usual sources of cigarettes(61), by age, England 2004—Current smokers Percentage
		
			  Age 11–12 years 13 years 14 years 15 years Total 
		
		
			 Bought from any shop 28 53 63 78 66 
			 Bought from supermarket 5 13 16 30 21 
			 Bought from newsagent/tobacconist/sweet shop 24 45 54 70 58 
			 Bought from garage shop 9 15 25 38 29 
			 Bought from other type of shop 3 9 9 16 12 
			   
			 Bought from street markets 2 8 5 4 5 
			 Bought from machine 14 14 17 22 19 
			 Bought through the internet — — 0 — 0 
			   
			 Bought from other people 40 38 41 33 37 
			 Bought from friends/relatives 28 29 30 25 27 
			 Bought from someone else 24 22 22 15 19 
			   
			 Given by other people 62 67 67 61 63 
			 Given by friends 51 64 61 56 58 
			 Given by brother/sister 18 17 12 11 13 
			 Given by father/mother 3 2 7 9 7 
			   
			 Found or taken 11 9 7 4 6 
			 Other 15 5 6 6 7 
			   
			 Bases 123 214 388 628 1,353 
		
	
	(61) Percentages total more than 100 because pupils could give more than one answer.
	Note:
	The survey from which the results are taken are from secondary school pupils in years 7 to 11. The majority of pupils questioned are therefore aged between 11 and 15.
	Source:
	Smoking, drinking and drug use among young people in England 2004. Health and Social Care Information Centre.

Police

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the likely costs of police force amalgamation.

Charles Clarke: Further to my right hon. Friend's reply earlier, we are currently analysing the proposals put forward to ensure that we understand fully the real costs of change and the future benefits. Until that analysis is complete, I am not prepared to comment further on the likely costs.

Police

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers there have been in (a) Ruislip-Northwood constituency and (b) the London borough of Hillingdon in each year since 1997.

Hazel Blears: Data on police officers is not collected centrally at constituency level. Data for the number of police officers in the London borough of Hillingdon is provided in the following table. Data is available only from 2000–01 onwards.
	
		Number of police officers in Hillingdon (full-time equivalent)—2001–05
		
			 As at 31 March Full-time equivalent 
		
		
			 2001 358 
			 2002 408 
			 2003 458 
			 2004 484 
			 2005 498

Police

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has had discussions with police authorities on the suspension of further appointments to high level vacancies in police forces, subject to their possible restructuring.

Hazel Blears: I have had no specific discussions with police authorities on this matter. However, in his capacity as chair of the Senior Appointments Panel Sir Ronnie Flanagan, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary (HMIC), recently wrote to police authorities addressing the implications of HMIC's "Closing the Gap" report on the current structure of policing.
	Reflecting the views of the Senior Appointments Panel, the letter advised police authorities that, except where specific approval had already been granted, the common sense approach would be not to proceed with existing or future plans to recruit new chief constables during the restructuring process. Where police authorities wished to recruit deputy or assistant chief constables, the panel would exercise its professional judgement on a case by case basis and decide whether or not there was merit in filling the post at that point in time.
	A copy of this letter has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of antisocial behaviour orders.

Hazel Blears: In 2002 we published a research paper entitled "A review of anti-social behaviour orders" (commonly referred to as the Campbell Review) which followed a commitment made during the passage through Parliament of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. Antisocial behavioural orders (ASBOs) have now reached sufficient numbers to necessitate further research.
	The Home Office is conducting an evaluation of ASBOs, the findings of which will be available in spring 2006 and will provide information on the effectiveness of ASBOs in tackling anti-social behaviour within our neighbourhoods and communities. In addition, the Home Affairs Select Committee, in their report on antisocial behaviour published last year, recommended that research was necessary to establish the reasons for the inappropriate issuing of ASBOs or the issuing of ASBOs with inappropriate conditions. We are currently considering the best way to meet this recommendation.

"Closing the Gap"

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will summarise the material which was redacted in the published version of the HM Inspectorate Constabulary report "Closing the Gap".

Hazel Blears: The preface to the public version of the "Closing the Gap" report addressed this issue and in particular stated that the redacted material in no way impacted either the substance, or the spirit of the original report and its conclusions. Furthermore please be assured that Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) made every effort to keep the redactions to an absolute minimum.
	The only chapter that was affected by the decision to redact material was chapter five, the national assessment of police organisational fitness. 10 paragraphs were redacted from the section that presented HMIC's findings in relation to Counter-Terrorism and Domestic Extremism. These dealt with operational issues in relation to the command, control, deployment and resilience of existing resources in this critical, yet often covert area of policing. One sentence was redacted from the paragraphs that addressed Serious and Organised Crime, together with a composite map and the supporting narrative from the concluding section of the chapter, that identified risk in relation to specific operational issues, the release of which would be of interest to organised crime. It was HMIC's professional judgment that the publication of this material was not in the public interest.
	I have raised the issue of producing the requested summary with HMIC and it is their view that, given the relative brevity and sensitivity of the material in question, it would not be possible to do so without exposing the issues at hand. I am, of course, sighted on this material and I agree with this assessment.

Asylum/Immigration

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what support is provided to Zimbabweans who have been refused asylum;
	(2)  what representations he has received regarding the situation of Zimbabweans living in the UK who have been refused asylum.

Tony McNulty: We have received representations from the public and from Members of both Houses regarding the situation of Zimbabweans who have been refused asylum. Most have been concerned primarily with the issue of enforced return of failed asylum seekers to Zimbabwe, with a number of these proposing that failed Zimbabwean asylum seekers be allowed to work in the UK "until it is safe for them to return to Zimbabwe". We have also received representations from UK voluntary sector organisations about support for failed Zimbabwean asylum seekers under section four of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.
	As I explained in my statement on 14 December 2005, Official Report, column 134WS, the recent Asylum and Immigration Tribunal determination did not find that Zimbabwe generally was unsafe for failed asylum seekers to return to or that voluntary returnees are at risk, only that the method by which we were at that time enforcing returns put enforced returnees at risk. As a consequence, we will not enforce the return of failed asylum seekers to Zimbabwe until we have addressed the concerns of the tribunal. In the meantime, voluntary returns to Zimbabwe are possible and are continuing. We therefore expect failed asylum seekers to return voluntarily to Zimbabwe and will assist them in doing so through the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
	Asylum seekers from Zimbabwe who have been refused asylum can apply for support under section four of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. Support is available under this provision to unsuccessful asylum seekers who are destitute and who satisfy one or more of a number of conditions, for example that the person is taking all reasonable steps to leave the UK, or to place himself in a position in which they are able to leave the UK.

Asylum/Immigration

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his current estimate is of the number of failed asylum seekers living in the UK.

Tony McNulty: Information on the total number of asylum seekers currently in the UK, including failed asylum seekers, is not available.
	As in other countries, the number of "unauthorised" or "illegal" migrants—including failed asylum seekers—in the UK is unknown. The Migration Research Unit (MRU) report published last year reviewed the methods used in other countries and assessed their viability for use in the UK. That report suggested that a method which could be applied in the UK is the "residual method" used in the United States. The new report details how that method has been applied in the UK.
	It must be emphasised that, while this method is one that can be used with data available for the UK, over-reliance must not be placed on this result in the absence of the means to produce other estimates using different methods. The report can be found at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/notes/june_summaries.html.

Asylum/Immigration

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress he has made on introducing faster non-detained processes for new asylum claimants; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: As mentioned in the immigration and nationality directorate (IND) five year strategy, "Controlling our borders: making migration work for Britain" [Cm 6472] published in February 2005, we have been testing a non- detained, tightly-managed approach in north-west England, where applicants are interviewed and receive decisions on their claims quickly and are closely managed either to removal or leave to remain in the UK.
	This has been in place since December 2004 and is part of the new asylum model (NAM) which is designed to introduce:
	faster tightly-managed processes for all new asylum claimants, including those not detained;
	close contact management for all non-detained claimants with access to support dependent on compliance; and
	a specialist case owner responsible for managing each claimant from the start to either integration or removal.
	Two segments of the new asylum model, dealing with potentially non- suspensive appeals cases and with late and opportunistic claims having low barriers to removal, became operational in June 2005 via complete case management teams based at Liverpool and Croydon.
	Under this system, claimants presenting at the asylum screening units at Liverpool and Croydon who do not go into the detained fast track are judged against objective criteria (which have been shared with external stakeholders) as to whether their claims are "late and opportunistic". If they are, or, based on their country of origin, their claims are potentially "non-suspensive appeal" cases and they require national asylum seeker support (NASS) accommodation, they are moved to Liverpool. Non- detained, non-NASS accommodated claimants in either segment are managed by a Croydon-based team using reporting centres as close as possible to where they are living.
	This is the first phase of the proposed implementation which we expect to see all new asylum cases from the end of this year dealt with as part of the new asylum model.
	For the next phase we are planning to introduce case management teams in West Midlands and Leeds to manage the asylum applicants in those regions. These are expected to be in operational form in May of this year. Decisions will be made later about locations of other teams.

Asylum/Immigration

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his latest estimate is of the number of failed asylum seekers in the UK who are unable to (a) work and (b) claim benefit.

Tony McNulty: All failed asylum seekers who have no leave to remain in the UK do not have the right to work and are expected to leave the country. Support under section four of the 1999 Act is available for those unsuccessful asylum seekers unable to leave the country immediately who are co-operating with the process for return. As at the end of September 2005 there were 7,630 applicants, excluding dependants, in receipt of section four support.
	However, as in other countries, the number of "unauthorised" or "illegal" migrants—including failed asylum seekers—in the UK is unknown. The Home Office published on 30 June, the outcome of the assessment of the applicability to the UK of the methods used by researchers and government agencies in other countries to estimate the size of the illegal population. The methods had been identified in the report by the Migration Research Unit (MRU) of University College London on "Sizing the Illegally Resident Population in the UK".
	A copy of the Research Development and Statistics (RDS) On-line report 29/05—"Sizing the unauthorised (illegal) migrant population in the United Kingdom in 2001" can be found at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/notes/june_summaries.html
	The MRU report published last year reviewed the methods used in other countries and assessed their viability for use in the UK. That report suggested that a method which could be applied in the UK is the "residual method" used in the United States. The new report details how that method has been applied in the UK.
	It must be emphasised that, while this method is one that can be used with data available for the UK, over-reliance must not be placed on this result in the absence of the means to produce other estimates using different methods.

Criminal Injuries Compensation

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for transferring the cost of compensation for criminal injuries at work to employers.

Fiona Mactaggart: We are currently consulting on the issue of removing from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme cases where someone is injured while at work. We are considering if employers, whether in the public or private sector, are best placed to protect their employees, minimise the risk to them and bear the risk of compensating them for their injuries if they fail to do so.
	In our Green Paper "Rebuilding Lives; supporting victims of crime" we ask for views on this issue.

DNA Profiles

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 1 December 2005, Official Report, column 748W, on DNA profiles, when he expects technical changes to the link between the police national computer and the national DNA database to be made.

Andy Burnham: The changes to the police national computer (PNC) system and its link to the national DNA database are currently being considered by Police Information Technology Organisation (PITO) and an impact assessment is being made. A meeting is scheduled for 13 January between PITO, the database custodian and the Forensic Science Service (FSS) to discuss the prioritisation of this and several other technical changes. Until the impact assessment is complete it is not possible to say precisely when the work will be scheduled, but would anticipate completion by the end of the calendar year.
	On 1 December the original question asked:
	"How many people under 18 years have DNA profiles stored in the police national database without having been charged or cautioned for any offence?"
	It was not then possible to provide the answer. A transitional solution provided by the police now enables this information to be compiled, though not as easily as the proposed PNC-national DNA database linkage would permit. On 1 December 2005 there were around 24,000 DNA person profiles on the DNA database which related to persons under 18 who had not been charged or cautioned for any offence.

Domestic Violence

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will ensure that the sex of persons prosecuted for domestic violence cases is recorded by the Crown Prosecution Service.

Fiona Mactaggart: The sex of persons prosecuted is recorded for all cases handled by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) including domestic violence cases. However, this data is not collated and reported centrally.
	The hon. Gentleman has previously asked a question concerning the sex of persons prosecuted for domestic violence on 29 November 2005, official report, column 437W. The response to this question provided the total number of persons prosecuted (from a centralised performance management system) but concluded that:
	"The gender of the persons prosecuted for domestic violence cases is not collected by the CPS'.
	This conclusion was incorrect and should have stated that:
	"Regular flagging of all domestic violence cases has been monitored since April 2005. However, the gender of the persons prosecuted for domestic violence cases has not been collated and reported (centrally) by the CPS".
	Snapshot surveys since 2002 have collected one month of more detailed data annually, in relation to domestic violence, including gender. In 2002, 94 per cent. of defendants were male, in 2003–95 per cent. and in 2004–93 per cent. For 2004, the overwhelming majority of offences were perpetrated by a male defendant (93 per cent.) on a female (89 per cent.).
	Discussions are under way in relation to future possible systematic collation and reporting of such data.

EU Migration

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made during the British presidency of the EU in implementing the action plan to deal with migration flows across the Mediterranean; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: Substantial progress was made during the UK presidency to implement EU initiatives to tackle illegal migration across the Mediterranean.
	The EU Border Agency (FRONTEX) became fully operational in October 2005 and identified the Mediterranean as a priority area for action. EU member states conducted various joint exercises to detect and intercept irregular migrants, and to reinforce controls in sea ports.
	Important progress was made on strengthening co-operation with transit countries in North Africa. The 10th anniversary Euromed Summit in November 2005 adopted a five year work programme covering enhanced co-operation on all aspects of migration, including reducing illegal migration and trafficking in human beings. A ministerial meeting on migration will be held in 2006 to drive forward this agenda.
	In addition, the UK presidency advanced work with Libya on an action plan on illegal migration, due to be adopted early in 2006. A European Commission mission made recommendations for practical co-operation with Morocco and Algeria following the tragic events in Ceuta and Melilla. Key Mediterranean transit countries were involved in ED sea operations.
	On source countries in Africa, agreement was reached at the EU Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Troika in November and the EU Africa Troika in December to enhance and strengthen dialogue and practical cooperation on migration between ECOWAS, African countries, Pan-African institutions and the EU.
	At the end of the presidency, the December European Council adopted a paper "Global approach to migration: Priority actions focusing on Africa and the Mediterranean", drawing together all strands of EU migration work in the Mediterranean and Africa and setting priority actions for 2006.
	Building on our presidency achievements, we will continue to encourage the EU to work in closer partnership with transit and source countries to tackle illegal migration across the Mediterranean and for improved migration management globally.

Homophobic Crime

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated relating to homophobic crime;
	(2)  what guidelines for police forces his Department has published on (a) homophobic-related crime and (b) racially motivated crime;
	(3)  what recent discussions he has had on homophobic crime; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what duty is placed on police forces to (a) collect and (b) publish statistics related to reported incidences of homophobic crime.

Paul Goggins: The Metropolitan Police Service conducted a six-month study "Understanding and Responding to Hate Crime" which analysed hate crime incidents, including homophobic crime reported in that period. However, the Home Office has not commissioned any research on homophobic crime. Similarly a number of discussions have been held with stakeholders. These are being used in developing policy to tackle hate crime more effectively including homophobic crimes.
	In May this year the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and the Home Office jointly published a hate crime manual, 'Hate Crime: Delivering a Quality Service'. This builds on the code of practice on reporting and recording racists incidents published and distributed in 2000.
	At present no duty is placed on police forces to collect or publish incidents of hate crime.

Humberside Police

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the burden of paperwork faced by Humberside police.

Hazel Blears: The National Bureaucracy Adviser provides practical assistance to all forces, including Humberside, in the timely and effective implementation of their work on reducing bureaucratic burdens on police officers. This includes visiting forces to spread good practice; challenging, where necessary, existing practices; and driving force-led reductions in bureaucracy. We have made good progress in reducing the bureaucratic burdens on police officers by cutting nearly 9,000 unnecessary forms; civilianising posts; rolling out the penalty notice for disorder scheme; and ensuring that forces have the best scientific and technological support like video identity parades and electronic fingerprinting so that officers spend more time in communities tackling crime and antisocial behaviour and reassuring the public.

London Bombings

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he plans to extend changes made to the criminal injuries compensation scheme to the victims of the 7 July bombings.

Fiona Mactaggart: The question of making any scheme changes retrospective was addressed in the Home Office consultation paper 'Rebuilding Lives: supporting victims of crime' published on 7 December 2005. The relevant passage, at page 19, reads:
	"We recognise that changes to the scheme mean that some cases would be dealt with differently in future and that some applicants who have already received their compensation would have received more under a new scheme. However, we do not believe that it would be fair or workable to apply changes retrospectively. Changes also need to be approved by Parliament, which could mean that it could be at least a year before any changes could come into effect. We would welcome views on whether changes to the scheme should apply from the date of the incident or the date of the application.
	Potential applicants to the scheme should not alter their decision on whether or when to apply to the scheme as a result of anything in this paper."
	The full text of the consultation document can be found on the Home Office website through http://www.cjsonline.gov.uk/the_cjs/whats_new/news-3258.html.

Offences Against the Person Act

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) males and (b) females aged (i) under 16 years, (ii) 16 to 18 years, (iii) 19 to 24 years, (iv) 25 to 30 years, (v) 30 to 40 years and (vi) 40 years and over found guilty of an offence under section 20 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 were sentenced to (A) five years' imprisonment, (B) four years' imprisonment, (C) three years' imprisonment, (D) two years' imprisonment, (E) one year's imprisonment, (F) six months' imprisonment, (G) community service and (H) a fine only in (1) Essex, (2) the Metropolitan police part of London, (3) Hertfordshire and (4) England and Wales in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Fiona Mactaggart: The information requested is contained in the following tables.
	
		Sentencing overview for persons convicted of wounding or inflicting grievous bodily harm, 2000 to 2004
		
			 Number of offenders 
			  2000 
			  Sentenced Immediate custody Community sentence Fine 
		
		
			 Male 
			 Essex 
			 Under 16 5 3 2 0 
			 16–18 5 3 2 0 
			 19–24 24 20 3 0 
			 25–30 10 7 2 1 
			 31–40 9 6 2 1 
			 41+ 4 3 1 0 
			  
			 Metropolitan Police 
			 Under 16 9 2 6 0 
			 16–18 69 30 34 0 
			 19–24 95 65 20 2 
			 25–30 55 47 6 0 
			 31–40 74 45 15 0 
			 41+ 40 22 11 0 
			  
			 Hertfordshire 
			 Under 16 3 0 3 0 
			 16–18 8 6 2 0 
			 19–24 19 12 5 0 
			 25–30 5 4 1 0 
			 31–40 9 7 0 0 
			 41+ 1 0 1 0 
			  
			 England and Wales 
			 Under 16 165 38 94 0 
			 16–18 739 327 364 8 
			 19–24 1,359 814 452 24 
			 25–30 746 459 216 17 
			 31–40 724 413 211 23 
			 41+ 339 151 112 9 
			  
			 Female 
			 Essex 
			 Under 16 0 0 0 0 
			 16–18 1 1 0 0 
			 19–24 0 0 0 0 
			 25–30 4 1 3 0 
			 31–40 0 0 0 0 
			 41+ 2 1 1 0 
			  
			 Metropolitan Police 
			 Under 16 3 1 2 0 
			 16–18 6 4 2 0 
			 19–24 5 2 2 1 
			 25–30 2 0 1 0 
			 31–40 3 2 1 0 
			 41+ 3 3 0 0 
			  
			 Hertfordshire 
			 Under 16 0 0 0 0 
			 16–18 0 0 0 0 
			 19–24 4 0 4 0 
			 25–30 0 0 0 0 
			 31–40 0 0 0 0 
			 41+ 1 0 1 0 
			  
			 England and Wales 
			 Under 16 24 3 19 0 
			 16–18 89 24 59 0 
			 19–24 116 35 68 2 
			 25–30 77 31 35 0 
			 31–40 79 25 35 1 
			 41+ 38 14 17 0 
			  
			 Persons 
			 Essex 
			 Under 16 5 3 2 0 
			 16–18 6 4 2 0 
			 19–24 24 20 3 0 
			 25–30 14 8 5 1 
			 31–40 9 6 2 1 
			 41+ 6 4 2 0 
			  
			 Metropolitan Police 
			 Under 16 12 3 8 0 
			 16–18 75 34 36 0 
			 19–24 100 67 22 3 
			 25–30 57 47 7 0 
			 31–40 77 47 16 0 
			 41+ 43 25 11 0 
			  
			 Hertfordshire 
			 Under 16 3 0 3 0 
			 16–18 8 6 2 0 
			 19–24 23 12 9 0 
			 25–30 5 4 1 0 
			 31–40 9 7 0 0 
			 41+ 2 0 2 0 
			  
			 England and Wales 
			 Under 16 189 41 113 0 
			 16–18 828 351 423 8 
			 19–24 1,475 849 520 26 
			 25–30 823 490 251 17 
			 31–40 803 438 246 24 
			 41+ 377 165 129 9 
		
	
	
		
			 Number of offenders 
			 2001 
			  Sentenced Immediate custody Community sentence Fine 
		
		
			 Male 
			 Essex 
			 Under 16 1 0 1 0 
			 16–18 8 4 4 0 
			 19–24 18 10 8 0 
			 25–30 8 8 0 0 
			 31–40 12 6 1 0 
			 41+ 5 4 0 0 
			  
			 Metropolitan Police 
			 Under 16 19 5 14 0 
			 16–18 48 21 25 0 
			 19–24 86 63 14 1 
			 25–30 53 37 11 0 
			 31–40 61 39 13 0 
			 41+ 50 27 12 0 
			  
			 Hertfordshire 
			 Under 16 2 0 2 0 
			 16–18 6 3 2 1 
			 19–24 15 12 3 0 
			 25–30 7 7 0 0 
			 31–40 9 8 0 0 
			 41+ 5 2 1 0 
			  
			 England and Wales 
			 Under 16 189 41 127 0 
			 16–18 649 299 317 9 
			 19–24 1,354 866 414 17 
			 25–30 734 472 204 10 
			 31–40 716 406 217 14 
			 41+ 362 180 116 6 
			  
			 Female 
			 Essex 
			 Under 16 0 0 0 0 
			 16–18 3 2 1 0 
			 19–24 0 0 0 0 
			 25–30 1 0 1 0 
			 31–40 1 0 1 0 
			 41+ 1 0 0 0 
			  
			 Metropolitan Police 
			 Under 16 4 0 4 0 
			 16–18 5 2 3 0 
			 19–24 9 5 3 0 
			 25–30 5 2 2 0 
			 31–40 5 3 2 0 
			 41+ 0 0 0 0 
			  
			 Hertfordshire 
			 Under 16 1 1 0 0 
			 16–18 1 1 0 0 
			 19–24 2 1 1 0 
			 25–30 0 0 0 0 
			 31–40 1 0 1 0 
			 41+ 1 0 1 0 
			  
			 England and Wales 
			 Under 16 22 1 20 0 
			 16–18 81 24 52 1 
			 19–24 108 44 50 2 
			 25–30 64 25 29 0 
			 31–40 80 26 43 0 
			 41+ 38 6 23 0 
			  
			 Persons 
			 Essex 
			 Under 16 1 0 1 0 
			 16–18 11 6 5 0 
			 19–24 18 10 8 0 
			 25–30 9 8 1 0 
			 31–40 13 6 2 0 
			 41+ 6 4 0 0 
			  
			 Metropolitan Police 
			 Under 16 23 5 18 0 
			 16–18 53 23 28 0 
			 19–24 95 68 17 1 
			 25–30 58 39 13 0 
			 31–40 66 42 15 0 
			 41+ 50 27 12 0 
			  
			 Hertfordshire 
			 Under 16 3 1 2 0 
			 16–18 7 4 2 1 
			 19–24 17 13 4 0 
			 25–30 7 7 0 0 
			 31–40 10 8 1 0 
			 41+ 6 2 2 0 
			  
			 England and Wales 
			 Under 16 211 42 147 0 
			 16–18 730 323 369 10 
			 19–24 1,462 910 464 19 
			 25–30 798 497 233 10 
			 31–40 796 432 260 14 
			 41+ 400 186 139 6 
		
	
	
		
			 Number of offenders 
			 2002 
			  Sentenced Immediate custody Community sentence Fine 
		
		
			 Male 
			 Essex 
			 Under 16 1 0 1 0 
			 16–18 14 10 4 0 
			 19–24 19 16 3 0 
			 25–30 10 6 3 0 
			 31–40 14 11 1 0 
			 41+ 3 3 0 0 
			  
			 Metropolitan Police 
			 Under 16 12 4 8 0 
			 16–18 47 25 18 0 
			 19–24 93 63 26 0 
			 25–30 53 39 10 0 
			 31–40 102 78 13 2 
			 41+ 39 26 7 0 
			  
			 Hertfordshire 
			 Under 16 5 1 4 0 
			 16–18 19 9 9 0 
			 19–24 23 16 5 0 
			 25–30 10 7 3 0 
			 31–40 10 8 2 0 
			 41+ 3 2 1 0 
			  
			 England and Wales 
			 Under 16 182 38 134 0 
			 16–18 713 320 354 5 
			 19–24 1,420 841 495 27 
			 25–30 722 456 202 10 
			 31–40 789 460 236 13 
			 41+ 361 162 131 8 
			  
			 Female 
			 Essex 
			 Under 16 0 0 0 0 
			 16–18 2 0 2 0 
			 19–24 1 1 0 0 
			 25–30 0 0 0 0 
			 31–40 1 0 1 0 
			 41+ 0 0 0 0 
			  
			 Metropolitan Police 
			 Under 16 3 1 2 0 
			 16–18 9 7 2 0 
			 19–24 13 6 6 0 
			 25–30 8 5 3 0 
			 31–40 11 4 5 0 
			 41+ 6 2 3 0 
			  
			 Hertfordshire 
			 Under 16 1 0 1 0 
			 16–18 2 2 0 0 
			 19–24 0 0 0 0 
			 25–30 1 1 0 0 
			 31–40 1 0 1 0 
			 41+ 1 1 0 0 
			  
			 England and Wales 
			 Under 16 27 2 24 1 
			 16–18 79 28 47 0 
			 19–24 124 39 69 2 
			 25–30 57 27 27 0 
			 31–40 107 28 56 0 
			 41+ 52 12 26 0 
			  
			 Persons 
			 Essex 
			 Under 16 1 0 1 0 
			 16–18 16 10 6 0 
			 19–24 20 17 3 0 
			 25–30 10 6 3 0 
			 31–40 15 11 2 0 
			 41+ 3 3 0 0 
			  
			 Metropolitan Police 
			 Under 16 15 5 10 0 
			 16–18 56 32 20 0 
			 19–24 106 69 32 0 
			 25–30 61 44 13 0 
			 31–40 113 82 18 2 
			 41+ 45 28 10 0 
			  
			 Hertfordshire 
			 Under 16 6 1 5 0 
			 16–18 21 11 9 0 
			 19–24 23 16 5 0 
			 25–30 11 8 3 0 
			 31–40 11 8 3 0 
			 41+ 4 3 1 0 
			  
			 England and Wales 
			 Under 16 209 40 158 1 
			 16–18 792 348 401 5 
			 19–24 1,544 880 564 29 
			 25–30 779 483 229 10 
			 31–40 896 488 292 13 
			 41+ 413 174 157 8 
		
	
	
		
			 Number of offenders 
			 2003 
			  Sentenced Immediate custody Community sentence Fine 
		
		
			 Male 
			 Essex 
			 Under 16 4 2 2 0 
			 16–18 13 8 5 0 
			 19–24 17 11 6 0 
			 25–30 8 5 2 0 
			 31–40 12 8 2 0 
			 41+ 4 2 1 0 
			  
			 Metropolitan Police 
			 Under 16 10 2 8 0 
			 16–18 43 15 26 1 
			 19–24 89 59 29 1 
			 25–30 59 43 12 0 
			 31–40 74 46 23 1 
			 41+ 57 28 17 1 
			  
			 Hertfordshire 
			 Under 16 3 0 3 0 
			 16–18 9 4 5 0 
			 19–24 11 9 2 0 
			 25–30 8 6 2 0 
			 31–40 6 4 2 0 
			 41+ 0 0 0 0 
			  
			 England and Wales 
			 Under 16 184 24 144 0 
			 16–18 659 239 383 7 
			 19–24 1,339 819 471 10 
			 25–30 663 418 196 8 
			 31–40 767 422 270 9 
			 41+ 411 191 151 7 
			  
			 Female 
			 Essex 
			 Under 16 1 1 0 0 
			 16–18 1 0 1 0 
			 19–24 4 2 1 0 
			 25–30 0 0 0 0 
			 31–40 0 0 0 0 
			 41+ 0 0 0 0 
			  
			 Metropolitan Police 
			 Under 16 2 1 1 0 
			 16–18 6 1 5 0 
			 19–24 9 4 4 0 
			 25–30 6 1 2 1 
			 31–40 7 1 3 0 
			 41+ 2 1 1 0 
			  
			 Hertfordshire 
			 Under 16 0 0 0 0 
			 16–18 0 0 0 0 
			 19–24 0 0 0 0 
			 25–30 1 1 0 0 
			 31–40 1 0 1 0 
			 41+ 1 0 1 0 
			  
			 England and Wales 
			 Under 16 35 5 28 0 
			 16–18 57 10 45 0 
			 19–24 149 54 78 1 
			 25–30 54 14 33 1 
			 31–40 88 26 44 0 
			 41+ 49 11 25 1 
			  
			 Persons 
			 Essex 
			 Under 16 5 3 2 0 
			 16–18 14 8 6 0 
			 19–24 21 13 7 0 
			 25–30 8 5 2 0 
			 31–40 12 8 2 0 
			 41+ 4 2 1 0 
			  
			 Metropolitan Police 
			 Under 16 12 3 9 0 
			 16–18 49 16 31 1 
			 19–24 98 63 33 1 
			 25–30 65 44 14 1 
			 31–40 81 47 26 1 
			 41+ 59 29 18 1 
			  
			 Hertfordshire 
			 Under 16 3 0 3 0 
			 16–18 9 4 5 0 
			 19–24 11 9 2 0 
			 25–30 9 7 2 0 
			 31–40 7 4 3 0 
			 41+ 1 0 1 0 
			  
			 England and Wales 
			 Under 16 219 29 172 0 
			 16–18 716 249 428 7 
			 19–24 1,488 873 549 11 
			 25–30 717 432 229 9 
			 31–40 855 448 314 9 
			 41+ 460 202 176 8 
		
	
	
		
			 Number of offenders 
			 2004 
			  Sentenced Immediate custody Community sentence Fine 
		
		
			 Male 
			 Essex 
			 Under 16 3 0 3 0 
			 16–18 8 6 2 0 
			 19–24 19 17 1 0 
			 25–30 13 10 2 0 
			 31–40 6 6 0 0 
			 41+ 6 4 0 0 
			  
			 Metropolitan Police 
			 Under 16 10 1 9 0 
			 16–18 47 26 19 1 
			 19–24 98 72 22 1 
			 25–30 61 43 12 1 
			 31–40 69 54 8 0 
			 41+ 51 27 16 0 
			  
			 Hertfordshire 
			 Under 16 2 0 2 0 
			 16–18 4 3 1 0 
			 19–24 11 9 2 0 
			 25–30 8 5 1 1 
			 31–40 5 3 2 0 
			 41+ 3 3 0 0 
			  
			 England and Wales 
			 Under 16 180 24 146 0 
			 16–18 665 307 327 3 
			 19–24 1,400 848 489 13 
			 25–30 627 377 195 16 
			 31–40 674 408 199 9 
			 41+ 386 192 130 8 
			  
			 Female 
			 Essex 
			 Under 16 1 1 0 0 
			 16–18 0 0 0 0 
			 19–24 2 2 0 0 
			 25–30 2 2 0 0 
			 31–40 1 1 0 0 
			 41+ 0 0 0 0 
			  
			 Metropolitan Police 
			 Under 16 2 0 2 0 
			 16–18 2 0 2 0 
			 19–24 3 1 1 0 
			 25–30 3 1 0 0 
			 31–40 7 6 0 0 
			 41+ 6 3 1 1 
			  
			 Hertfordshire 
			 Under 16 0 0 0 0 
			 16–18 1 1 0 0 
			 19–24 2 2 0 0 
			 25–30 1 0 1 0 
			 31–40 0 0 0 0 
			 41+ 1 0 1 0 
			  
			 England and Wales 
			 Under 16 26 5 20 0 
			 16–18 66 14 50 0 
			 19–24 114 38 65 2 
			 25–30 69 27 30 0 
			 31–40 80 28 40 0 
			 41+ 44 10 22 1 
			  
			 Persons 
			 Essex 
			 Under 16 4 1 3 0 
			 16–18 8 6 2 0 
			 19–24 21 19 1 0 
			 25–30 15 12 2 0 
			 31–40 7 7 0 0 
			 41+ 6 4 0 0 
			  
			 Metropolitan Police 
			 Under 16 12 1 11 0 
			 16–18 49 26 21 1 
			 19–24 101 73 23 1 
			 25–30 64 44 12 1 
			 31–40 76 60 8 0 
			 41+ 57 30 17 1 
			  
			 Hertfordshire 
			 Under 16 2 0 2 0 
			 16–18 5 4 1 0 
			 19–24 13 11 2 0 
			 25–30 9 5 2 1 
			 31–40 5 3 2 0 
			 41+ 4 3 1 0 
			  
			 England and Wales 
			 Under 16 206 29 166 0 
			 16–18 731 321 377 3 
			 19–24 1,514 886 554 15 
			 25–30 696 404 225 16 
			 31–40 754 436 239 9 
			 41+ 430 202 152 9 
		
	
	Source:
	RDS NOMS 14 December 2005

Preventing Extremism Working Groups

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many people were considered for membership of the Preventing Extremism working groups;
	(2)  whether (a) he and (b) his officials had discussions with people considered for membership of the Preventing Extremism working groups concerning the criteria according to which candidates for membership of the Preventing Extremism working groups were assessed;
	(3)  what discussions (a) he and (b) his officials had with people considered for membership of the Preventing Extremism working groups concerning the suitability of other people considered for membership of the working groups;
	(4)  according to what criteria candidates for membership of the Preventing Extremism groups were assessed;
	(5)  on what dates the criteria for selecting members of the Preventing Extremism working groups were revised;
	(6)  on what date criteria were first drawn up for selecting the members of the Preventing Extremism working groups;
	(7)  what criteria were drawn up for selecting members of the Preventing Extremism working groups.

Paul Goggins: The Preventing Extremism Together working groups were created as part of an exercise which was carried out informally as part of our immediate response to the July bombings.
	Suggestions as to possible members came both orally and in writing from Ministerial visits which took place over the summer, through a designated email account, from the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives, and following the Prime Minister's and my own meetings with key faith leaders and others.
	Members of the working groups were invited to participate because of their expertise and experience. A key factor was to ensure that the groups had credibility with the Muslim communities. In selecting these individuals consideration was given to those who were both challenging voices and well established figures who have the support of their community. To ensure a broad spectrum of representation, high profile and internationally known individuals were invited alongside individuals who hold a variety of different views. They were invited in a personal, unpaid capacity, rather than as representatives of their organisations and held no official status. The result of this was seven working groups with a membership total of 104.

Rates

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was paid by the Prisons Service in rates to each local authority in the UK in 2004–05; and how much was paid (a) in each (i) nation and (ii) region of the UK and (b) in London.

Fiona Mactaggart: The rates paid by the Prison Service in England and Wales in 2004–05 is shown in the following table by:
	Overall Total
	English Regions
	Billing Authority
	London figures are included under English Regions. Wales is not divided into regions.
	
		Prison Service rates
		
			 Location Rates payable 2004–05 (£) 
		
		
			 England and Wales-Overall 25,504,569.79 
			   
			 England 24,905,308.19 
			 Wales 599,261.60 
			   
			 English Regions  
			 North East 1,678,937.96 
			 North West 3,789,121.47 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 3,034,637.78 
			 East Midlands 1,800,313.98 
			 West Midlands 2,822,056.77 
			 East of England 1,830,972.35 
			 South East 5,491,333.96 
			 South West 1,813,880.34 
			 London 2,644,053.58 
			   
			 Billing Authority  
			 Arun District Council 135,888.00 
			 Ashford Borough Council 228.00 
			 Aylesbury Vale District Council 360,240.00 
			 Bassetlaw District Council 177,840.00 
			 Bedford Borough Council 131,100.00 
			 Birmingham City Council 386,688.00 
			 Blaby District Council 232,090.45 
			 Boston Borough Council 31,350.00 
			 Breckland District Council 235,288.53 
			 Bridgend County Borough Council 217,412.00 
			 Bristol City Council 186,960.00 
			 Bromsgrove District Council 459,475.14 
			 Canterbury City Council 78,432.00 
			 Cardiff County Council 174,020.00 
			 Castle Morpeth District Council 367,080.00 
			 Chelmsford Borough Council 133,152.00 
			 Cherwell District Council 494,357.27 
			 Chorley Borough Council 583,969.02 
			 City of Wakefield Metropolitan District Council 378,024.00 
			 City of York Council 37,392.00 
			 Copeland Borough Council 138,487.20 
			 Dacorum Borough Council 325,128.00 
			 Daventy District Council 301,416.00 
			 Derbyshire Dales District Council 117,192.00 
			 Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council 1,037,023.32 
			 Dover District Council 229,368.00 
			 Durham City Council 706,024.80 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire District Council 716,410.06 
			 East Staffordshire Borough Council 247,266.00 
			 Exeter City Council 129,960.00 
			 Fenland District Council 362,520.00 
			 Fylde Borough Council 148,656.00 
			 Gloucester City Council 91,200.00 
			 Gosport District Council 52,896.00 
			 Greenwich London Borough Council 808,882.57 
			 Guildford District Council 60,739.20 
			 Hambleton District Council 63,840.00 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council 533,698.79 
			 Harborough District Council 128,820.00 
			 Hounslow London Borough Council 312,864.22 
			 Huntingdonshire District Council 227,238.23 
			 Isle of Wight Borough Council 402,648.00 
			 Islington London Borough Council 541,728.00 
			 Kennet District Council 83,231.99 
			 Kingston upon Hull City Council 243,504.00 
			 Lambeth London Borough Council 119,472.00 
			 Lancaster City Council 477,896.60 
			 Leeds City Council 558,444.40 
			 Leicester City Council 66,120.00 
			 Lewes District Council 144,552.00 
			 Lichfield District Council 123,148.11 
			 Lincoln City Council 139,764.00 
			 Liverpool City Council 760,152.00 
			 Macclesfield Borough Council 109,440.00 
			 Maidstone Borough Council 169,860.00 
			 Manchester City Council 446,424.00 
			 Medway Towns, The Council 181,075.35 
			 Mendip District Council 82,080.00 
			 Milton Keynes Borough Council 621,153.52 
			 Monmouthshire County Council 102,513.60 
			 Newark and Sherwood District Council 208,152.45 
			 North Dorset District Council 182,400.00 
			 North Kesteven District Council 89,131.81 
			 North Shropshire District Council 145,236.00 
			 Norwich City Council 164,757.05 
			 Nottingham City Council 101,360.69 
			 Peterborough City Council 3,148.27 
			 Portsmouth City Council 76,380.00 
			 Preston City Council 108,072.00 
			 Reading Borough Council 86,298.00 
			 Reigate and Banstead District Council 547,200.00 
			 Richmond Upon Thames London Borough Council 60,192.00 
			 Rochdale Borough Council 125,400.00 
			 Rochford District Council 60,648.00 
			 Rugby Borough Council 115,596.00 
			 Rushcliffe Borough Council 60,648.00 
			 Rutland District Council 315,096.00 
			 Salford City Council 223,440.00 
			 Shrewsbury and Atcham District Council 61,031.54 
			 South Derbyshire District Council 28,324.58 
			 South Gloucestershire District Council 364,700.35 
			 South Oxfordshire District Council 140,676.00 
			 South Staffordshire District Council 408,209.98 
			 Spelthorne District Council 169,417.12 
			 St. Edmundsbury Borough Council 248,520.00 
			 Stafford Borough Council 207,480.00 
			 Staffordshire Moorlands District Council 80,256.00 
			 Stockton on Tees Borough Council 390,145.16 
			 Suffolk Coastal District Council 165,984.00 
			 Surrey Heath Borough Council 173,280.00 
			 Swale Borough Council 873,709.50 
			 Swansea County Council 105,316.00 
			 Teesdale District Council 215,688.00 
			 Teignbridge District Council 194,256.00 
			 Tunbridge Wells Borough Council 44,688.00 
			 Wandsworth London Borough Council 267,216.00 
			 Warrington Borough Council 449,444.66 
			 Waveney District Council 98,616.27 
			 Wellingborough District Council 104,424.00 
			 West Devon Borough Council 144,324.00 
			 West Dorset District Council 57,000.00 
			 Weymouth and Portland Borough Council 297,768.00 
			 Wigan Borough Council 217,740.00 
			 Winchester City Council 123,120.00 
			 Wychavon District Council 286,254.00

Rates

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was paid by the (a) Forensic Science Service, (b) Criminal Records Bureau and (c) UK Passport Service in rates to each local authority in the UK in 2004–05; and how much was paid in (i) each (A) nation and (B) region of the UK and (ii) London.

Charles Clarke: The rates payments made by Forensic Science Service, Criminal Records Bureau and UK Passport Service during financial year 2004–05 are given in the following table:
	
		
			£ 
			 Local authority Forensic science service Criminal records bureau UK passport service 
		
		
			 Durham county council — — 204,030 
			 NI rate collection — — 68,971 
			 Liverpool city council — 161,274 660,000 
			 Newport city council — — 80,195 
			 Westminster city council — — 831,500 
			 Glasgow city council — — 184,886 
			 Peterborough city council — — 173,936 
			 Birmingham city council 110,016 — — 
			 London borough of Lambeth 384,020 — — 
			 Leeds city council 83,556 — — 
			 Solihull Met borough council 294,134 — — 
			 Monmouthshire county council 86,726 — — 
			 Huntingdon district council 105,642 — — 
			 Chorley borough council 64,686 — — 
			 Sandwell Met borough council 66,043 — — 
			 Blackburn with Darwen local authority — 45,264 — 
			 Total paid 1,194,823 206,538 2,203,518 
			 
			 (A) region
			 Scotland — — 184,886 
			 Wales 86,726 — 80,196 
			 Northern Ireland — — 68,971 
			 North West 148,242 — 660,000 
			 North East — 206,538 204,030 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber — — — 
			 East Midlands — — — 
			 West Midlands 470,193 — — 
			 East of England — — 173,935 
			 South East 105,642 — — 
			 South West — — — 
			 London 384,020 — 831,500 
			 
			 (B) nation
			 England 1,108,097 206,538 1,869,465 
			 Scotland — — 184,886 
			 Wales 86,726 — 80,196 
			 Northern Ireland — — 68,971 
			 
			 (ii) London 384,020 — 831,500 
		
	
	The FSS provides services to England and Wales, CRB to England, Wales and Northern Ireland and UKPS to the whole of the United Kingdom.

Rental Costs

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was paid in rent for properties by the (a) Forensic Science Service, (b) Criminal Records Bureau and (c) UK Passport Service in 2004–05; and how much was paid in (i) each (A) region and (B) nation of the UK and (ii) London.

Charles Clarke: Rental payments made by Forensic Science Service, Criminal Records Bureau and UK Passport Service during financial year 2004–05 are given in the following table:
	
		
			£ 
			  Forensic science service Criminal records bureau UK passport service 
		
		
			 (A) region
			 Scotland — — 444,792 
			 Wales — — 307,578 
			 Northern Ireland — — 163,450 
			 North West — 613,017 803,987 
			 North East 26,100 — 1,048,986 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber — — — 
			 East Midlands — — — 
			 West Midlands 1,688,700 — — 
			 East of England — — 687,388 
			 South East — — — 
			 South West — — — 
			 London 2,050,000 — 2,985,000 
			 Total paid 3,764,800 613,017 6,441,181 
			 
			 (B) nation
			 England 3,764,800 613,017 5,525,361 
			 Scotland — — 444,792 
			 Wales — — 307,578 
			 Northern Ireland — — 163,450 
			 
			 (ii) London 2,050,000 — 2,985,000 
		
	
	The FSS provide services to England and Wales, CRB to England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and UKPS provides services to the whole of the United Kingdom.

Yarl's Wood Detention Centre

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many detainees at the Yarl's Wood Detention Centre on 1 January had been detained for (a) less than one month, (b) between one and three months, (c) between three and six months, (d) between six and 12 months and (e) over 12 months.

Tony McNulty: The Home Office publishes a quarterly snapshot of people detained under Immigration Act powers on the last Saturday of each quarter. The latest published information pertains to people detained as at the 24 September 2005.
	On 24 September 2005 there were 245 persons recorded as being held in the Immigration Removal Centre at Yarl's Wood. This figure is rounded to the nearest five, in accordance with National Statistics protocols. The following table gives the breakdown of this figure by the length of detention.
	Published statistics on immigration and asylum are available on the Home Office's Research Development and Statistics website http://wwwhomeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
	The next quarterly snapshot is for 31 December 2005 and will be published at the end of February 2006.
	
		Persons recorded as being held in the Immigration Service Removal Centre Yarl's Wood, in the United Kingdom solely under Immigration Act powers as at 24 September 2005, by length of detention(92)
		
			 Length of detention(93)(94) Number of individuals 
		
		
			 14 days or less 120 
			 15 to 29 days 45 
			 1 month to less than 2 months 35 
			 2 months to less than 3 months 15 
			 3 months to less than 4 months 15 
			 4 months to less than 6 months 15 
			 6 months to less than 1 year 5 
			 1 year or more 5 
			 Total 245 
		
	
	(92) Figures rounded to the nearest 5; with * = 1 or 2, may not sum due to rounding and exclude persons detained in police cells and those detained under both criminal and immigration powers.
	(93) Relates to current period of detention only.
	(94) 2 months is defined as 61 days; 4 months is defined as 122 days; 6 months is defined as 182 days.

Council Tax

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of council tax as a percentage of gross income in each (a) decile and (b) quintile (i) before and (ii) after council tax benefit.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 16 January 2006
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question to asking what the latest estimate is of council tax as a percentage of gross income in each (a) decile and (b) quintile (i) before and (ii) after council tax benefit. (41574)
	Estimates for taxes and benefits are based on the Office for National Statistics analyses 'The effects of taxes and benefits on household income' and the latest analysis for 2003–04 was published on the National Statistics website on 7th July 2005 at http://www.statistics.gov.uk/taxesbenefits. The analysis includes measures of income inequality for households in the United Kingdom as a whole based on data from the Expenditure and Food Survey. This is a sample survey covering approximately 7,000 households in the UK. The analysis for 2004–05 is due to be published on the National Statistics website in April 2006.
	The following tables show estimates of council tax as a percentage of gross income for each income decile and quintile where households are ranked by equivalised disposable income. Council tax figures are shown both before and after the deduction of council tax benefit. Each table also shows the equivalised disposable income boundaries which separate deciles and quintiles.
	
		Council tax as a percentage of gross income by equivalised disposable income decile, 2003–04 Great Britain
		
			   Council tax as percentage of gross income 
			 Decile Income boundary(99) (£ per year) before council tax benefit after council tax benefit 
		
		
			 Bottom  9.7 5.9 
			  9,368   
			 2nd  6.7 4.3 
			  11,690   
			 3rd  5.3 3.8 
			  13,767   
			 4th  4.4 3.7 
			  16,006   
			 5th  3.6 3.2 
			  18,519   
			 6th  3.2 3.0 
			  21,291   
			 7th  2.9 2.7 
			  24,565   
			 8th  2.5 2.4 
			  29,677   
			 9th  2.2 2.2 
			  38,509   
			 Top  1.4 1.4 
			 
			 Average for all households 2.9 2.5 
		
	
	(99) Boundary point between equivalised disposable income deciles.
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics, based on the analysis 'The effects of taxes and benefits on household income', published on the ONS website and in Economic Trends.
	
		Council tax as a percentage of gross income by equivalised disposable income quintile, 2003–04, Great Britain
		
			   Council tax as percentage of gross income 
			 Decile Income boundary(100) (£ per year) before council tax benefit after council tax benefit 
		
		
			 Bottom  7.9 5.0 
			  11,690   
			 2nd  4.8 3.7 
			  16,006   
			 3rd  3.4 3.1 
			  21,291   
			 4th  2.6 2.6 
			  29,677   
			 Top  1.7 1.7 
			 
			 Average for all households 2.9 2.5 
		
	
	(100) Boundary point between equivalised disposable income quintiles.
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics, based on the analysis 'The effects of taxes and benefits on household income', published on the ONS website and in Economic Trends.

Departmental Equipment

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) laptops and (b) mobile phones his Department bought in each year since 1997; and what the cost of each category of equipment was in each year.

John Healey: The number of laptops bought in 2005 was 115 and their cost was £108,350. Details for 1997–2004 can be found in the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Lynne Featherstone) on 14 June 2005, Official Report, column 339W.
	Figures for mobile phones are not available, as current Treasury records do not separate mobiles from other telecoms costs.

Departmental IT Systems

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent on IT systems in each year since 1997; what the purpose of each system is; what the outturn against planned expenditure of each system was; and what the (a) planned and (b) actual date of completion was of each system.

John Healey: The information requested is set out as follows.
	
		
			 Overrun (£000 and months) 
			   Reference Delivery (past and imminent)   System/purpose  Project cost £000  Running costs £000Xyears   Cost   Time 
		
		
			 1 Pre-1997 PANAGON—Document management system — 50x9 — — 
			 2 Pre-1997 MINCOM—Management of Ministerial correspondence PQ system—Management of Parliamentary Questions Impres—Management of paper files — 25x9 — — 
			 3 Pre-1997 GSI—Government Secure Intranet — 114x9 — — 
			 4 1997 to 2005 Server and PCs technical refresh (3–4 year). [Current cost hardware and maintenance contract shown.] — 250x9 — — 
			 5 1998 Replacement of Treasury Financial Information System (FIS)—monitoring of departmental expenditure 559 — — — 
			 6 1999 PS/ENTERPRISE—Replacement of central HR/personnel system for HMT. 337 25x7 — 1 
			 7 2000 Provision of a search engine to enhance the document management repository, internet and Intranet in HMT. 600 12.5x5 350 — 
			 8 2001 ABACUS—Replacement of Treasury's domestic accounting system 900 250x4 — — 
			 9 2001 Implementation of the GOLD system for the Consolidation of Central Government Accounts. 622 13x4 — — 
			 10 2001 Redevelopment of Treasury's public web site, including provision of a CMS—content management system 250 80x4 — — 
			 11 2001 Provision of IT services in support of HMT Business Continuity Plan (BCP). 1,455 — — — 
			   Services: — 191.2x4 — — 
			   Colt link to HMT—35k 
			   GSI connection—123k 
			   Reuters—6.3k 
			   Data Circuit—6.1k 
			   Telecom lines—18.5k 
			   Hardware maint.—2.3k 
			 12 2001 Updating the Treasury's desktop to incorporate MS Windows and Office 2000 products (includes: Oasis Build 6 implementation £1,111; MS Windows based servers (moved from Netware), File and Print servers, MS Exchange 5.5 servers). 2,500 — — — 
			 13 2002 Move and provision of new IT facilities in new HMT building, 1 Horse Guards Road. 1,717 — — — 
			 14 2002 Conversion of HMT PCs from Token Ring networking to Ethernet working. 260 - - - 
			 15 2002 Improvements to the capacity, reliability, performance and ease-of-use of secure remote working facilities in HMT. 500 — — — 
			 16 2005 COINS—Integration of three Government financial data systems to form a Single Data System (SDS). [Scope increased significantly and timetable adjusted]. 4,560 104 2,160 24 
			 17 2005 JIGSAW—Enhancing Electronic Document and Records Management system (EDRMS). [Re-scoped and timetable lengthened]. 2,166 86 366 6 
			 18 2005 Replacement of the computer system 'TACSYS' which supports the operational accounting and cashflow forecasting work of the Treasury Exchequer Funds and Accounts team 'TRiP' [October 2002 budgeted at £1.1 million, soon thereafter, the project was stopped because of the opportunity to implement a cheaper solution and provide an opportunity to review the complex requirements.] 1,100 100x7 280 24 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Maintenance is quoted at current rates.
	2. The costs shown for each of the IT systems cover externally-provided hardware, software and implementation costs and may, in addition, cover other costs such as training where this will be part of the initial contract to be placed with the external contractor. The costs of in-house development are not included.
	3. IT systems with estimated or actual costs of over £100,000 or with running costs of over £20,000 p.a. are included in the table, as information on smaller systems has not been centrally held throughout this period, and so complete information is not readily available.

Electoral Registration

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of the population is registered to vote in each ward of each constituency in (a) Essex, (b) Hertfordshire and (c) Greater London in descending order of numbers registered for each constituency.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the national statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 16 January 2006
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning the population registered to vote in each ward of each constituency in (a) Essex, (b) Hertfordshire and (c) Greater London in descending order of numbers registered for each constituency. (42330)
	The attached Table 1 gives a comparison between the number of registered electors and the estimated population for wards in each parliamentary constituency in Essex, Hertfordshire and Greater London. Ward figures for the Unitary Authority areas formerly in Essex (Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock) and Hertfordshire (Luton) are included. Because of the length of the table it has been provided in electronic format and will be placed in the House of Commons Library.
	It should be borne in mind that the percentage of the resident population who are registered to vote does not provide a reliable estimate of the registration rate of the eligible population. This is mainly because there are definitional differences between "usually resident" and eligibility to vote and therefore the estimated resident population aged 18 and over is not the same as the number of people eligible to vote. For example, the resident population includes all those who usually live in an area irrespective of nationality whereas the parliamentary electorate excludes foreign nationals (but Commonwealth and Irish citizens are included) and may include some overseas electors who do not currently live in the area. Further, there is inevitably some double counting of the registered electorate and this can occur for a number of reasons. People who have more than one address, including students, may register in more than one place. Electoral registration officers may vary in how quickly they remove people from the registers after they have moved away from an area or after they have died.
	The closest available geography to current electoral wards, for which population estimates are available, is Census Area Statistics (CAS) wards. This geography was created for outputs from the 2001 Census and is based mainly on 2003 electoral wards. The electorate counts are on current ward boundaries and it has been necessary to convert these to the CAS ward geography.
	The latest population data available at ward level are for mid-2002, published in April 2005. The ward electorate counts are for December 2002 parliamentary electors, including attainers. The parliamentary electorate has been used rather than the local government electorate even though the latter is definitionally closer to the resident population because the local government electorate is not available at ward level. No adjustment has been made to reflect the difference between these two time points. There are a number of wards that are split by parliamentary constituency i.e. they fall within two or more parliamentary constituencies. These are shown by an asterisk * alongside their ward name, and appear under both constituencies. Electorate and population figures for the whole ward are shown. Some wards will therefore be double counted. It is not possible to split the data for these wards.
	The population data are estimates and as such are subject to a margin of confidence. This margin of confidence is proportionately larger for ward level estimates than for local authority level estimates. The CAS ward level population estimates have been published with the status of "experimental statistics". Therefore, the estimates, and figures derived from them, should be treated with some care.
	There are a relatively small number of wards (28) where the electorate counts are more than 5 per cent. greater than the population estimate. These cases are attributable to definitional differences between the estimates and electoral counts, the margin of confidence in the ward estimates, the accuracy of the electoral registers and limitations in the methodology used to convert electoral counts to the CAS ward geography.

Electors (London)

Greg Hands: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of registered electors are EU nationals who are not UK or Republic of Ireland nationals in each London borough according to the electoral registers now in force.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 16 January 2006
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning what proportion of registered electors are EU nationals, who are not UK and Republic of Ireland nationals, in each London borough, according to the electoral registers now in force. (41607)
	The attached table provides figures for 1 December 2004 on the proportion of registered electors who are EU citizens but not British or Irish citizens in each London borough (and the City of London). These figures are the latest available data. Electoral counts for 1 December 2005 will be published on 23 February 2006 and will be available on the National Statistics website at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=319i&Pos= &ColRank=l&Rank=272
	
		Total European/Local Government Electorate and Electorate Entitled to Vote through European Union Citizenship, December 2004
		
			 London borough Electorate Qualifying through European Union Citizenship(106)(107) Total European/Local Government Electorate Percentage of European/Local Electorate Qualifying through EU Citizenship 
		
		
			 City of London 333 6,018 5.5 
			 Barking and Dagenham 1,756 119,372 1.5 
			 Barnet 8,004 214,421 3.7 
			 Bexley 1,369 171,904 0.8 
			 Brent 10,252 180,665 5.7 
			 Bromley 3,458 228,983 1.5 
			 Camden 11,378 144,326 7.9 
			 Croydon 5,010 246,866 2.0 
			 Ealing 11,685 215,814 5.4 
			 Enfield 6,048 194,611 3.1 
			 Greenwich 5,055 160,176 3.2 
			 Hackney 6,904 129,274 5.3 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 10,460 116,144 9.0 
			 Haringey 9,495 152,486 6.2 
			 Harrow 3,739 162,049 2.3 
			 Havering 947 175,668 0.5 
			 Hillingdon 3,852 181,145 2.1 
			 Hounslow 5,759 165,583 3.5 
			 Islington 6,904 120,297 5.7 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 14,608 98,629 14.8 
			 Kingston upon Thames 3,340 99,014 3.4 
			 Lambeth 13,016 203,055 6.4 
			 Lewisham 5,650 177,731 3.2 
			 Merton 6,184 135,678 4.6 
			 Newham 7,651 171,815 4.5 
			 Redbridge 2,319 181,192 1.3 
			 Richmond upon Thames 4,614 120,146 3.8 
			 Southwark 7,664 180,173 4.3 
			 Sutton 2,069 131,315 1.6 
			 Tower Hamlets 5,180 145,444 3.6 
			 Waltham Forest 5,547 159,399 3.5 
			 Wandsworth 11,378 211,816 5.4 
			 Westminster 15,402 135,810 11.3 
		
	
	(106) These data are as reported by each London borough to ONS.
	(107) Excludes British and Irish citizens, and also Maltese and Cypriot citizens who qualify as Commonwealth citizens.
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics

Employment (Beverley and Holderness)

Graham Stuart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what proportion of all those in employment were employed by the (a) public and (b) private sectors in Beverley and Holderness in each year since 1996;
	(2)  what the (a) actual and (b) percentage annual changes in job levels for the (i) private and (ii) public sectors were in Beverley and Holderness in each of the last five calendar years.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 16 January 2006
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions about private and public sector employment. (41367 & 41368)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics for the United Kingdom of public sector employment from a quarterly survey of public sector organisations. However, estimates at local area level are not available.
	Information at local area level is available from the annual local area Labour Force Survey (LFS) of individual people in households. However, in this source, the categorization of employment in the public or private sector depends upon the responses from the individuals interviewed. As reported by ONS in October 2005 in the publication "Public Sector Employment Trends", some individuals tend to misreport private sector employment as being in the public sector hence leading to overestimates of the share of public sector employment.
	With this reservation about the data quality, the attached table shows the proportions of public and private sector employment in the Beverley and Holderness constituency shown by the annual local area LFS for the 12 month periods ending February 1997 to February 2004.
	These estimates, as with any from sample surveys, are subject to a margin of uncertainty. Changes in the estimates from year to year should be treated with particular caution.
	
		Persons in employment resident in the Beverley and Holderness constituency by private-public sector split(108)
		
			  Proportions (Percentage) Levels (Thousand) Changes in private sector Changes in public sector 
			 12 months ending: Private sector Public sector Private sector Public sector Thousand Percentage(109) Thousand Percentage(109) 
		
		
			 February 1997 (110)— (110)— (110)— (110)— (110)— (110)— (110)— (110)— 
			 February 1998 (110)— (110)— (110)— (110)— (110)— (110)— (110)— (110)— 
			 February 1999 72 28 24 9 (110)— (110)— (110)— (110)— 
			 February 2000 75 25 26 9 2 7 -1 -8 
			 February 2001 73 27 26 10 0 0 1 12 
			 February 2002 74 26 28 10 2 9 0 2 
			 February 2003 73 27 30 11 2 7 1 14 
			 February 2004 73 27 31 12 1 2 0 3 
		
	
	(108) Public/private sector split based on responses from individuals responding to the annual local area Labour Force Survey generally overestimate public sector employment.
	(109) Percentage changes are based on exact levels for each year and then rounded. They will not correspond to percentage changes based on rounded levels
	(110) Not available.
	Source:
	Annual local area Labour Force Survey.

Family Size

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families there are with (a) one child, (b) two children, (c) three children, (d) four children, (e) five children, (f) six to 10 children and (g) more than 10 children.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Lone Parents

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what proportion of lone parents were in employment (a) in total, (b) where the youngest child is under 11 years and (c) where the youngest child is between 11 and 18 years in the last period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the employment rate of lone parent families in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 16 January 2006
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions about lone parents in employment. (41293, 41220)
	The attached table gives the levels and proportion of the number of lone parents who were in employment (a) in total, (b) where the youngest child is under 11 years and (c) between 11 and 18 years, also the lone parent employment rate, for the three months ending May 2005.
	Estimates are taken from the Office for National Statistics's Labour Force Survey (LFS). As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		Number of lone parents(111) with dependent children in employment—United Kingdom—three months ending May 2005
		
			  Number of lone parents (thousand) 
			 Total Total In employment Lone parent employment rate (percentage)(112)(113) 
		
		
			 Total 1,881 1,043 55.8 
			 of which:
			 Age of youngest child under 11 years 1,192 571 48.2 
			 Age of youngest child between11 and 18 years 689 472 69.0 
		
	
	(111) Refer to people who are not married or cohabiting and have dependent children, who are defined as 0 to 15 year olds, or 16 to 18 year olds in full-time education
	(112) Includes lone parents aged under 16 who have been excluded from the employment rates.
	(113) People in employment as a percentage of all persons.
	Source:
	ONS—Labour Force Survey

Lung Cancer (Doncaster and Barnsley)

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in (a) Doncaster and (b) Barnsley were diagnosed with lung cancer in each of the last 10 years.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 16 January 2006
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question concerning how many people in (a) Doncaster and (b) Barnsley were diagnosed with lung cancer in each of the last 10 years. (42117)
	The most recent available information on registration of newly diagnosed cases (incidence) are for the year 2003. Numbers of newly diagnosed cases registered in the county districts of Doncaster and Barnsley, are given in the table below.
	
		Number of newly diagnosed cases of lung(114) cancer registered in the county districts of Doncaster and Barnsley, 1994–2003
		
			  Doncaster Barnsley 
		
		
			 1994 241 198 
			 1995 268 190 
			 1996 235 184 
			 1997 232 196 
			 1998 242 208 
			 1999 237 172 
			 2000 260 204 
			 2001 237 181 
			 2002 271 169 
			 2003 258 182 
		
	
	(114) For 1994, International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) code 162; from 1995 to 2003, International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes C33-C34.
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics

Pensioners (Cause of Death)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of pensioners in whose deaths cold or malnutrition have been cited as the primary cause in each of the last 10 years, broken down by county and London borough.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the national statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 16 January 2006
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question concerning the number of pensioners in whose deaths cold or malnutrition have been cited as the primary cause in each of the last 10 years, broken down by county and London borough. (41694)
	The latest year for which figures are available is 2004.
	Most routine mortality statistics are based on a single cause for each death, the underlying cause of death which is defined by the World Health Organisation as:
	(a) the disease which initiated the train of events directly leading to death; or
	(b) the circumstances of the accident or violence which produced the fatal injury.
	Using this definition "cold" can never be an underlying cause of death. However subnormal body temperature, hypothermia, may be mentioned on the death certificate. Tables of deaths with any mention of hypothermia by county and London borough were placed in the library of the House of Commons, (Official Report Number 91, column 547).
	In response to this parliamentary question ONS also placed in the library of the House of Commons tables of deaths from malnutrition, where this was defined as deaths with any mention of malnutrition or deprivation of food.
	Deprivation of food can never be the underlying cause of death using the WHO definition. Numbers of deaths where malnutrition was the underlying cause of death have been extracted for deaths registered in each year from 1995 to 2004. As retirement age differs for males and females, tables are provided separately for deaths of women aged 60 and over and men aged 65 and over.
	Counties in England and Wales have been subject to administrative changes which affected the structure of many of these areas in the mid-1990s. Figures are therefore provided using current county boundaries which exclude unitary authority areas created from 1995 onwards.
	These tables have been placed in the library of the House of Commons.

Registered Unemployed (Barnsley, East and Mexborough)

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of the registered unemployed in Barnsley East and Mexborough were (a) under 25 years, (b) 26 to 35 years, (c) 36 to 45 years, (d) 46 to 55 years and (e) over 55 years according to the latest figures.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 16 January 2006
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about unemployment. (42114)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles unemployment statistics for small areas from the Annual Population Survey following International Labour Organisation definitions.
	Table 1 shows the percentage of unemployed, by specified age groups, who were resident in the Barnsley East and Mexborough Parliamentary Constituency for the 12 month period ending in March 2005. These estimates, as with any from sample surveys, are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	ONS also compiles statistics for local areas of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA). Table 2 shows the percentage of JSA claimants, by age bands, resident in the Barnsley East and Mexborough constituency for November 2005.
	
		Table 1: Percentage of unemployed by age bands resident in the Barnsley East and Mexborough constituency—12 months ending March 2005
		
			 Age band Percentage 
		
		
			 25 and under 58 
			 26 to 35 (115)— 
			 36 to 45 26 
			 46 to 55 (115)— 
			 Over 55 (115)— 
			 Total number of unemployed 1,200 
		
	
	(115) Estimate not available; sample size less than three could be disclosive.
	Source:
	Annual Population Survey
	
		Table 2: Percentage of claimants of jobseeker's allowance by age bands resident in the Barnsley East and Mexborough constituency—November 2005
		
			 Age band Percentage 
		
		
			 25 and under 41.7 
			 26 to 35 22.0 
			 36 to 45 16.1 
			 46 to 55 14.4 
			 Over 55 5.8 
			 Total number of JSA claimants 1,250 
		
	
	Source:
	Jobcentre Plus Administrative system.

Taxation

Nick Hurd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average earnings of full-time employees in the constituency of Ruislip-Northwood were in April in each year since 2000.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 16 January 2006
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question to ask what the average earnings of full time employees in the constituency of Ruislip-Northwood are in April of each year since 2000 (41043)
	Currently average earnings are estimated from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), and are provided for full time employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey period was not affected by absence. This is the standard definition used for ASHE. The ASHE does not collect data on the self employed and people who do unpaid work.
	I attach a table showing the Average Gross Weekly Earnings for full time employees by parliamentary constituency by place of work from 2000 to 2005. These statistics are also available on the National Statistics website at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=13101
	The ASHE, carried out in April of each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. It is a one per cent sample of all employees who are members of pay-as-you-earn (PAYE) schemes.
	
		Gross weekly pay for full-time employee jobs(116) by place of work
		
			 Ruislip-Northwood Average gross weekly earnings (£) 
			  Median Mean 
		
		
			 2000 (117)439 (117)477 
			 2001 (118)391 (118)509 
			 2002 (118)394 (117)484 
			 2003 (118)446 (117)575 
			 2004 (118)440 (117)539 
			 2004(119) (118)434 (117)534 
			 2005 (118)446 (117)552 
		
	
	(116) Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence.
	(117) CV>5% and <=10%
	(118) CV>10% and <=20%
	(119) 2004 including supplementary surveys designed to improve the coverage of ASHE.
	Notes:
	Guide to quality:
	1. The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of a figure, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality.
	2. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV e.g. for an average of 200 with a CV of 5%, we would expect the population average to be within the range 190 to 210.
	Source:
	Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Office for National Statistics

Taxation

Nick Hurd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue was raised from personal taxation in the constituency of Ruislip-Northwood in (a) 1997 and (b) the last financial year for which figures are available.

John Healey: Estimates of total income tax revenue at constituency level are unavailable. Published information on the number of taxpayers and their mean and median total income by constituency, can be found in table 3.15 "Total Income by Parliamentary Constituency" on the HM Revenue and Customs internet website http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income_distribution/3_15_nov05.xls.